pretend

Study(12)

/pɹəˈtɛnd/

verb 5adj 1noun 1

Collocations

(verb.)

ADV

otherwise

She knew he was upset, but he continued to pretend otherwise throughout the evening.

VERB + PRETEND

can/could no longer | try to

be dishonest to, be idle to, be ridiculous to, be useless to

It would be ridiculous to pretend we didn't see what happened yesterday.

PREP

She pretended to her parents that she was studying at the library all evening.

PHRASES

go on pretending

She decided to stop going on pretending that she enjoyed her job.

just/only pretending

My little brother said he was scared, but he was just pretending the whole time.

let's pretend

Let's pretend we're superheroes and save the city from the bad guys.

stop pretending, there's no point in pretending

Definitions

verb

To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance.

You don't have to pretend that the soup tastes fine.

You don't have to pretend to like the soup.

To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance.

She moved her fingers across the desk, pretending to play the piano.

She didn't have a real piano to play, so she just pretended.

To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance.

She's pretending illness to get out of the business meeting.

This let him know, / Lest, wilfully transgressing, he pretend / Surprisal.

To lay claim (to an ability, status, advantage, etc.).

The family's exile was intended to stop them pretending to the throne.

Chiefs shall be grudged the part which they pretend.

To hold before, or put forward, as a cloak or disguise for something else; to exhibit as a veil for something hidden.

Lest that too heavenly form, pretended / To hellish falsehood, snare them.

adj

Not really what it is represented as being; imaginary, feigned.

As children we used to go on "spying" missions around the neighbour's house, but it was all pretend.

noun

The act of engaging in pretend play.

We used to dress up in our grandparents' old clothes and play pretend.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the enactment of a pretense

make-believe

verb — state insincerely

profess

verb — make believe with the intent to deceive

verb — represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or ac

make

verb — put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation

verb — behave unnaturally or affectedly

adjective — imagined as in a play

make-believe

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

Example Bank

You don't have to pretend that the soup tastes fine.

Wiktionary

You don't have to pretend to like the soup.

Wiktionary

If you don't like it, say so. You don't have to pretend.

Wiktionary

As children we used to go on "spying" missions around the neighbour's house, but it was all pretend.

Wiktionary

We used to dress up in our grandparents' old clothes and play pretend.

Wiktionary

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.

Tatoeba · #2318

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, pretend is marked as formal, obsolete, informal. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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