pretend
Use Pretend in a sentence
verb (used with object)
1.
to cause or attempt to cause (what is not so) to seem so: to pretend illness; to pretend that nothing is wrong.
2.
to appear falsely, as to deceive; feign: to pretend to go to sleep.
3.
to make believe: The children pretended to be cowboys.
4.
to presume; venture: I can't pretend to say what went wrong.
5.
to allege or profess, especially insincerely or falsely: He pretended to have no knowledge of her whereabouts.
verb (used without object)
6.
to make believe.
7.
to lay claim to (usually followed by to ): She pretended to the throne.
8.
9.
Obsolete. to aspire, as a suitor or candidate (followed by to ).
00:10
Pretend
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
adjective
10.
Informal. make-believe; simulated; counterfeit: pretend diamonds.
Origin:
1325–75; Middle English pretenden < Latin praetendere to stretch forth, put forward, pretend. See pre-, tend1
1325–75; Middle English pretenden < Latin praetendere to stretch forth, put forward, pretend. See pre-, tend1
Synonyms
1. simulate, fake, sham, counterfeit. Pretend, affect, assume, feign imply an attempt to create a false appearance. To pretend is to create an imaginary characteristic or to play a part: to pretend sorrow. To affect is to make a consciously artificial show of having qualities that one thinks would look well and impress others: to affect shyness. To assume is to take on or put on a specific outward appearance, often (but not always) with intent to deceive: to assume an air of indifference. To feign implies using ingenuity in pretense, and some degree of imitation of appearance or characteristics: to feign surprise.
1. simulate, fake, sham, counterfeit. Pretend, affect, assume, feign imply an attempt to create a false appearance. To pretend is to create an imaginary characteristic or to play a part: to pretend sorrow. To affect is to make a consciously artificial show of having qualities that one thinks would look well and impress others: to affect shyness. To assume is to take on or put on a specific outward appearance, often (but not always) with intent to deceive: to assume an air of indifference. To feign implies using ingenuity in pretense, and some degree of imitation of appearance or characteristics: to feign surprise.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To pretend
Collins
World English Dictionary
pretend (prɪˈtɛnd) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (foll by to) (foll by to) | |
| 1. | ( |
| 2. | (tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to make believe, as in a play: you pretend to be Ophelia |
| 3. | to present a claim, esp a dubious one: to pretend to the throne |
| 4. | obsolete to aspire as a candidate or suitor (for) |
| —adj | |
| 5. | fanciful; make-believe; simulated: a pretend gun |
| [C14: from Latin praetendere to stretch forth, feign, from prae in front + tendere to stretch] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
pretend
c.1380, "to profess or claim," from O.Fr. pretendre "to lay claim," from L. prætendere "stretch in front, put forward, allege," from præ- "before" + tendere "to stretch," from PIE base *ten- "to stretch" (see tend). Main modern sense of "feign, put forward a false
claim" is recorded from 1412; the older sense of simply "to claim" is behind the string of royal pretenders (1697) in Eng. history. Meaning "to play, make believe" is recorded from 1865.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Fake crying and pretend laughing are among the earliest.
He definitely engages in pretend play, but he likes to be clear and explicit about when he's pretending and when he isn't.
To pretend one culture is better than another is silly.
Technology has helped viewers pretend to be all sorts of sportsmen at home.
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