Thesaurus results for PRETENDS

pretends

verb

Definition of pretends next

present tense third-person singular of pretend

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

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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pretends 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 Thus ensnared in a fiction of his making, the narrator takes his phone out and pretends to press Record. —

Giles Harvey, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 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 Thomas is eager to get the interview under way that evening, and the narrator, for reasons that are opaque even to himself, pretends to be recording their conversation. —

Hannah Gold, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 Salim has to be the pragmatic one who pretends everything around them isn’t morally unjustifiable just to get through the day without losing his mind. —

Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026 That's the county JD Vance pretends to be from. —

ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026 All about the fake Google security page Security researchers at Malwarebytes, a cybersecurity company, recently discovered a phishing website that pretends to be part of Google's account protection system. —

Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretends

Verb

Harrison Ford poses at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations Presents Shrinking event in Los Angeles on April 12.

— Katie Hill, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Scientists are studying the ecosystems of Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park as climate change poses risks to the region’s biodiversity, including the possibility that species may become extinct before they are fully documented.

— Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026