1
as in poses
to take on a false or deceptive appearance
I pretended that I didn't care that my ex had a new man in her life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in assumes
to present a false appearance of
as if I would ever pretend illness just to take off a day from work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretends
Beauty, then, arises from the pain and struggle of experiencing oneself as a site of divine truancy, and ugly is that which pretends to be directly equivalent to the soul, God, etc.
—
Esther Yi,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
The person on the phone pretends to be IT support and tries to convince the employee to install remote desktop software.
—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Scary Movie 6 spoofed the horror flick by turning the terrifying Christmas mall massacre scene into a laugh out loud moment with Cindy being present when Art the Clown pretends to be a mall Santa.
—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
Pig-butchering scams, in which a stranger pretends to befriend you and then coaxes you into putting money into a cryptocurrency scam, don’t involve that same act now urgency.
—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
1 June 2026
Elsa argues with her mother, Isabel doesn’t like to be questioned and pretends everything’s all right, while Amalia hangs with dodgy characters and makes claims that seem real only to her.
—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
25 May 2026
This team is improved, has a deeper roster, no longer pretends Kris Bryant is a major league player and features more functional pitchers (No, seriously).
—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
The narrator of Lerner’s tight, astonishingly trenchant new book pretends to record part of his conversations with his elderly mentor and then uses his memory to write a profile.
—
Bethanne Patrick,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Sporting a bright yellow raincoat and rainboots, Garcia pretends to be a journalist reporting on the storm in West Kendall as a palm tree leaf slaps her across the face.
—
Xitlalic Montelongo,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
Esther Yi,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
The person on the phone pretends to be IT support and tries to convince the employee to install remote desktop software.
—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Scary Movie 6 spoofed the horror flick by turning the terrifying Christmas mall massacre scene into a laugh out loud moment with Cindy being present when Art the Clown pretends to be a mall Santa.
—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
Pig-butchering scams, in which a stranger pretends to befriend you and then coaxes you into putting money into a cryptocurrency scam, don’t involve that same act now urgency.
—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
1 June 2026
Elsa argues with her mother, Isabel doesn’t like to be questioned and pretends everything’s all right, while Amalia hangs with dodgy characters and makes claims that seem real only to her.
—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
25 May 2026
This team is improved, has a deeper roster, no longer pretends Kris Bryant is a major league player and features more functional pitchers (No, seriously).
—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
The narrator of Lerner’s tight, astonishingly trenchant new book pretends to record part of his conversations with his elderly mentor and then uses his memory to write a profile.
—
Bethanne Patrick,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Sporting a bright yellow raincoat and rainboots, Garcia pretends to be a journalist reporting on the storm in West Kendall as a palm tree leaf slaps her across the face.
—
Xitlalic Montelongo,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretends
Verb
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However, this $50 fee poses a barrier for low-income recipients and doesn't count towards deductibles.
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Federal authorities have increasingly warned that the group poses a unique challenge.
Verb
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The Gulf, though legally unchanged, now assumes direct Iranian strike risks.
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Photos of the chefs are right there on the packaging, and the service correctly assumes that their reputations will draw you in.
Verb
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Seeking to reach its third straight World Cup final, France plays Paraguay on July 4 in Philly, and the winner advances to a quarterfinal against Canada or Morocco five days later at Foxborough, Massachusetts.
-
Emma D'Arcy plays the adult version of the character across all three seasons.
Verb
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Swanson earned the national championship in the Postsecondary Collision Damage Appraisal Division, a competition that simulates the work of professional collision estimators and insurance appraisers, according to a press release from the college.
-
The mission simulates a scenario in which a maneuverable satellite rapidly approaches and inspects another spacecraft that is not cooperating.
Verb
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Jay Ravitz acts as a disruptor, embracing ambiguity and questioning the status quo to accelerate innovation.
-
Caffeine acts as a diuretic that pushes fluids out and raises body temperature.
Verb
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All proudly professes himself as a man of faith.
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After the massive trauma crisis is resolved, Owen professes his desire to be with Teddy and move to Paris, where Teddy was considering a once-in-a-lifetime research position.
Verb
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With his multi-instrumentalist bandmates, PJ Moore and co-songwriter Robert Bell, Buchanan zooms into these exchanges to prolong them or dissembles them into jagged pieces that leave the bigger picture to us.
Verb
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The heavy side part feigns an almost asymmetrical look, which offsets heaviness on the ends and frames the face in a fun way.
-
Below, Warren Zaire-Emery feigns a run towards his own goal to get on the blind side of a forward.
Cite this Entry
“Pretends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretends. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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