pre·tend

(prĭ-tĕnd′)

v. pre·tend·ed, pre·tend·ing, pre·tends

v.tr.

1. To give a false appearance of; feign: "You had to pretend conformity while privately pursuing high and dangerous nonconformism" (Anthony Burgess).

2. To claim or allege insincerely or falsely: doesn't pretend to be an expert.

3. To represent fictitiously in play; make believe: pretended they were on a cruise.

4. To take upon oneself; venture: I cannot pretend to say that you are wrong.

v.intr.

1. To feign an action or character, as in play.

2. To lay claim: pretends to gourmet tastes.

adj. Informal

Imitation; make-believe: pretend money; pretend pearls.

[Middle English pretenden, from Old French pretendre, from Latin praetendere : prae-, pre- + tendere, to extend; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

pretending - the act of giving a false appearance; "his conformity was only pretending"

pretense, feigning, simulation, pretence

dissimulation, deception, dissembling, deceit - the act of deceiving

show, appearance - pretending that something is the case in order to make a good impression; "they try to keep up appearances"; "that ceremony is just for show"

pretend, make-believe - the enactment of a pretense; "it was just pretend"

affectation, affectedness, mannerism, pose - a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display

masquerade - making a false outward show; "a beggar's masquerade of wealth"