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pretend

/pɹəˈtɛnd/noun, verb, adjective2 syllables

Pretend means: behave unnaturally or affectedly.

Synonyms for pretend23

noun, as in the enactment of a pretense

make-believe

verb, as in behave unnaturally or affectedly

dissemble, act, behave, do, acquit, bear, deport, conduct, comport, carry

verb, as in make believe with the intent to deceive

feign, sham, affect, dissemble, make, make believe

verb, as in represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like

make, make believe, feign, sham, affect, dissemble

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

guess, venture, hazard

verb, as in state insincerely

profess

adjective, as in imagined as in a play

make-believe, unreal

also used for pretend

make like, mimic

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does pretend mean?8

verb

1

behave unnaturally or affectedly“She's just acting”

2

make believe with the intent to deceive“He feigned that he was ill”

3

represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like“She makes like an actress”

4

put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation“I am guessing that the price of real estate will rise again”

5

state insincerely“He professed innocence but later admitted his guilt”

6

put forward a claim and assert right or possession of“pretend the title of King”

adjective

1

imagined as in a play“the make-believe world of theater”

noun

1

the enactment of a pretense“it was just pretend”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with pretend?28

three syllables

recommendcomprehend
Show 40 near rhymes
whentheirtheregetthemthenwellsaidwherebesthelpagainnextagainstleftletsetcarereadyettellheadmenwentyeslesssayshealthfriendsdeathelseairredcheckmyselfyourselfwestgetshimselfself

All 28 rhymes for pretend, grouped by syllable

Pretend in a sentence

  • They pretend to be sanctimonious but, in fact, they are hypocrite and despicable.arh
  • Even if you know the truth, you had better pretend otherwise at present.CM
  • One of them is an actor, who is going to pretend to murder someone.magnificentgoddess
  • They pretend to pay, we pretend to work.bandeirante
  • When you see me, don't pretend that you don't know me.adiante19
  • You pretend to agree, but then just do what you want.sundown
  • You all pretend to agree, but then just do what you want.sundown
  • You're not really as stupid as you pretend to be, are you?CK

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of pretend

as a verb

past tense
pretended
present participle
pretending
third-person singular
pretends
past participle
pretended