pretend Definition and Meaning in English (pretend definition)

verb
Quick Answer • Definition

Pretend definition: To behave as if something is true when you know it is not, often in order to deceive people or for fun.

Definitions of Pretend

  1. 1verb

    To behave as if something is true when you know it is not, often in order to deceive people or for fun.

  2. 2verb

    To claim falsely to have a particular quality, feeling, or to be doing something.

Example Sentences

casual

“The children love to pretend they are superheroes flying through the sky.”

casual

“He pretended not to hear me when I called his name.”

casual

“Don't pretend you don't know anything about the missing keys.”

Synonyms

Antonyms

be realbe genuineadmitreveal

Inflected Word Forms

third person singularpretends
past tensepretended
present participlepretending
nounpretense
agent nounpretender

Phrases & Idiomatic Expressions

pretend playcollocation

A type of play where children imagine and act out different roles or scenarios.

pretend to beexpression

To act as if one is someone or something else.

Frequently Asked Questions: Pretend in English

What is the meaning of Pretend in English?▼
Pretend definition: To behave as if something is true when you know it is not, often in order to deceive people or for fun.
How do you translate 'Pretend' to English?▼
'Pretend' translates to 'pretend' in English. Pretend definition: To behave as if something is true when you know it is not, often in order to deceive people or for fun.
How do you pronounce 'Pretend' and 'pretend'?▼
Listen to clear English audio pronunciation of 'Pretend' and native English audio speech for 'pretend' with bilingual sentence examples on DictBridge.

Related Vocabulary in English

All Words →

Explore contextually related English vocabulary with verified English meanings, pronunciations, and sentence usages: