Pretend: Definition, Usage & Example Sentences

Meaning 1：feign or simulate (pretend)

pretend 🔊

/prɪˈtend/

to behave as if something is true or real, even though you know it is not.

Children pretend to be superhero and villain in a park, illustrating the verb pretend.

feign or simulate 🔊

➕

/feɪn ɔːr ˈsɪmjʊleɪt/

To consciously act as if something is the case, typically for fun, deception, or to imagine a different reality.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'praetendere': 'prae-' (before, forth) + 'tendere' (to stretch).

💡 Mnemonic

Think: 'PRE-' means before. 'TEND' is an inclination. Before the truth is known, you have an inclination to make-believe.

📖 Example

The kids pretend to be dinosaurs, roaring and stomping around the backyard. 🔊 The kids pretend to be dinosaurs, roaring and stomping around the backyard.

🔗 Collocations

pretend to be (something/someone) – To act the role of a different person or thing.

pretend that... – To act on the assumption that an unreal situation is true.

pretend ignorance – To act as if one does not know something.

🔄 Synonyms

feign (v.) – To pretend to be affected by a feeling or state.

simulate (v.) – To imitate the appearance or character of something.

act (v.) – To behave in a specified way, often one that is not genuine.

🚫 Antonyms

be genuine (v.) – To be truly what something is said to be; authentic.

be authentic (adj.) – Of undisputed origin; not copied or false.

be sincere (adj.) – Free from pretense or deceit; proceeding from genuine feelings.

🌱 Derivatives

pretence (n.) – An attempt to make something that is not the case appear true.

pretender (n.) – A person who claims or aspires to a title or position.

pretension (n.) – A claim or aspiration to a particular quality or status.

📖 Cultural Story

The verb 'pretend' entered English in the late 14th century from the Old French 'pretendre', meaning 'to lay claim, assert'. Its Latin root 'praetendere' meant 'to stretch forth, allege'. It initially had a stronger legal or formal sense of 'to put forward as a claim or an excuse'. Over time, the meaning softened to its current primary sense of feigning or simulating.