pretended; pretending; pretends
1
: to give a false appearance of being, possessing, or performing
does not pretend to be a psychiatrist
2
a
: to make believe : feign
he pretended deafness
b
: to claim, represent, or assert falsely
pretending an emotion he could not really feel
1
: to feign an action, part, or role especially in play
2
: to put in a claim
cannot pretend to any particular expertise—
Clive Barnes
Clive Barnes1
: imaginary, make-believe
had a pretend pal with whom he talked
2
: not genuine : mock
pretend pearls
3
: being a nonfunctional imitation
a pretend train for the children to play in
Synonyms
Examples of pretend in a Sentence
Verb
He had a big stain on his shirt, but I pretended not to notice.
The children pretended to be asleep.
She looked like she was enjoying the party but she was just pretending.
It was a mistake, and to pretend otherwise would be foolish.
The children were pretending to be animals.
He pretended to make a phone call.
Let's just pretend for a moment. I'm your boss. What would you say to me?
Adjective
The children played on a pretend train.
if you were to see the movie's pretend jewels in real life, you wouldn't be fooled for a minute
Recent Examples on the WebTaylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
At the time, almost every comedy on air was filmed live in front of a studio audience—or at least pretended to be.
—Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2024
And the technology underlying generative AI chatbots lets hoaxers spoof election websites or spawn pretend news sites in a matter of seconds and on a mammoth scale.
—Mekela Panditharatne, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
Woods had never pretended to be anyone but himself.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
From Barry Goldwater in 1964 to Mitt Romney in 2012, every Republican nominee for president was a Buckley conservative — or somebody who at least occasionally pretended to be one.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 7 Apr. 2024
Soho House Location: 29-35 9th Ave Samantha may have been able to sneak her way into this exclusive members-only club by pretending to be British socialite Annabelle Bronstein, but unfortunately, the same won’t work for visitors.
—Kayla Keegan, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
For example, a hacker might call a company’s help desk, pretending to be an employee, and ask to reset their two-factor authentication.
—Nick Rockel, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors contended Jenelle was pretending to be Chris and used the false identity to fool her parents and to goad Marvin Potter into the killing.
—Katie O'Brien, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Lincee Ray, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
Now’s the time when toddlers enter fully into the world of pretend play and role play, and toys are the way children connect with caregivers and learn coping skills, say Adams and Eromenok.
—Anna Vognsen, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2024
If the pretend water plant in this article had been real, a successful hack could have brought about serious consequences.
—Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2024
If kids can grow out of their pretend pals, so too can horror audiences of cynical snoozes like this.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
While using one of the 18 accessories that come with this kitchen (including pots and pans for cooking a favorite meal), children can engage in pretend play, which is directly linked to higher social-cognitive and social-emotional skills.
—Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024
The videos showed a then-toddler True enjoying playing in her pretend kitchen inside the playhouse, ready to serve her mom a meal.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 1 Feb. 2024
The building blocks are entertaining and educational, creating opportunities to expand STEAM skills and engage in pretend play.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 14 Feb. 2024
The girl dad is immersed in pretend play, a customer in his daughters' beauty shop.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 24 Jan. 2024
Verb
What happens is very savvy cyber actors, many of them in West Africa are targeting American teenagers and pretending to be their counterparts, young kids.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
At the time, almost every comedy on air was filmed live in front of a studio audience—or at least pretended to be.
—Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2024
And the technology underlying generative AI chatbots lets hoaxers spoof election websites or spawn pretend news sites in a matter of seconds and on a mammoth scale.
—Mekela Panditharatne, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
Woods had never pretended to be anyone but himself.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
From Barry Goldwater in 1964 to Mitt Romney in 2012, every Republican nominee for president was a Buckley conservative — or somebody who at least occasionally pretended to be one.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 7 Apr. 2024
Soho House Location: 29-35 9th Ave Samantha may have been able to sneak her way into this exclusive members-only club by pretending to be British socialite Annabelle Bronstein, but unfortunately, the same won’t work for visitors.
—Kayla Keegan, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
For example, a hacker might call a company’s help desk, pretending to be an employee, and ask to reset their two-factor authentication.
—Nick Rockel, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors contended Jenelle was pretending to be Chris and used the false identity to fool her parents and to goad Marvin Potter into the killing.
—Katie O'Brien, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Who knew hardcore Jules had a brother who is a pretend doctor?
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
Now’s the time when toddlers enter fully into the world of pretend play and role play, and toys are the way children connect with caregivers and learn coping skills, say Adams and Eromenok.
—Anna Vognsen, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2024
If the pretend water plant in this article had been real, a successful hack could have brought about serious consequences.
—Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2024
If kids can grow out of their pretend pals, so too can horror audiences of cynical snoozes like this.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
While using one of the 18 accessories that come with this kitchen (including pots and pans for cooking a favorite meal), children can engage in pretend play, which is directly linked to higher social-cognitive and social-emotional skills.
—Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024
The videos showed a then-toddler True enjoying playing in her pretend kitchen inside the playhouse, ready to serve her mom a meal.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 1 Feb. 2024
The building blocks are entertaining and educational, creating opportunities to expand STEAM skills and engage in pretend play.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 14 Feb. 2024
The girl dad is immersed in pretend play, a customer in his daughters' beauty shop.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 24 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pretend.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pretend
Cite this Entry
“Pretend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretend. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pretend
1 of 2 verb
pre·tend
pri-ˈtend 
1
: to give the appearance of being, having, or doing
I don't pretend to be a doctor, but you should do something about that cough
2
: to make believe : act a part or role
pretend to be a bear
pretend I'm your boss. What would you say?
pretend
2 of 2 adjectiveLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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