Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To give a false appearance of; feign.
- intransitive verb To claim or allege insincerely or falsely.
- intransitive verb To represent fictitiously in play; make believe.
- intransitive verb To take upon oneself; venture.
- intransitive verb To feign an action or character, as in play.
- intransitive verb To lay claim.
- adjective Imitation; make-believe.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To hold out before one or in front; stretch forward; hence, to put before one for action, consideration, or acceptance; offer; present.
- To put forward as a statement or an assertion; especially, to allege or declare falsely or with intent to deceive.
- To put forward as a reason or excuse; use as a pretext; allege as a ground or reason; hence, to put forward a false appearance of; simulate; counterfeit; feign.
- To lay claim to; assert as a right or possession; claim.
- To aspire to; attempt; undertake.
- To intend; design; plan; plot.
- To presage; portend; forebode.
- To stretch or reach forward; aim; aspire: often with to.
- To lay claim; assert a right of ownership or possession: generally followed by to.
- To make pretense; make believe; counterfeit or feign.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To put in, or make, a claim, truly or falsely; to allege a title; to lay claim to, or strive after, something; -- usually with
to . - intransitive verb To hold out the appearance of being, possessing, or performing; to profess; to make believe; to feign; to sham.
- transitive verb To lay a claim to; to allege a title to; to claim.
- transitive verb rare To hold before, or put forward, as a cloak or disguise for something else; to exhibit as a veil for something hidden.
- transitive verb To hold out, or represent, falsely; to put forward, or offer, as true or real (something untrue or unreal); to show hypocritically, or for the purpose of deceiving; to simulate; to feign.
- transitive verb obsolete To intend; to design; to plot; to attempt.
- transitive verb obsolete To hold before one; to extend.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To make oneself
appear to do or be doing something; to engage inmake-believe .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation
- verb put forward a claim and assert right or possession of
- noun the enactment of a pretense
- adjective imagined as in a play
- verb make believe with the intent to deceive
- verb represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like
- verb behave unnaturally or affectedly
- verb state insincerely
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word pretend.
Examples
-
So, typically, I tried to find something that I can at least pretend is a bit healthier, like grilled chicken wraps.
Dairy Queen's Recession Friendly Sweet Deal Menu Costs More - The Consumerist 2009
-
The GE soy and corn on the market, which the FDA continues to pretend is just the same as the natural stuff, also has higher levels of allergens, and has been linked to numerous disorders.
Jeffrey Smith: GE Salmon? Are You Out of Your Minds?! Jeffrey Smith 2010
-
They are about "Theocracy" or getting whatever fossil they have designated the power to dictate to everybody whatever spew he wishes to pretend is the word of "god".
-
She said in pretend-shock, and then stuck her tongue out at him playfully.
Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels and comic books » The Five Page Challenge! 2009
-
Insurance companies hate to pay for water damage and will often deny anything they can pretend is water damage.
-
They are about "Theocracy" or getting whatever fossil they have designated the power to dictate to everybody whatever spew he wishes to pretend is the word of "god".
-
What you idiots pretend is that this was some sort of isolated incident that was not supported by the governments.
-
The GE soy and corn on the market, which the FDA continues to pretend is just the same as the natural stuff, also has higher levels of allergens, and has been linked to numerous disorders.
Jeffrey Smith: GE Salmon? Are You Out of Your Minds?! Jeffrey Smith 2010
-
The problem is that people like McCain pretend they only support Amnesty for people who have been hear 20 years, and then write legislation giving Amnesty to someone who has been here for 20 minutes
Victor Davis Hanson On Deportation In NRO–He’s Against It. What Would The Spartans Think? 2008
-
The problem is that people like McCain pretend they only support Amnesty for people who have been hear 20 years, and then write legislation giving Amnesty to someone who has been here for 20 minutes
Victor Davis Hanson On Deportation In NRO–He’s Against It. What Would The Spartans Think? 2008
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.