pretend meaning and definition

PRETEND noun

Definition of pretend (noun)

1. the enactment of a pretense
   • "it was just pretend"
   • synonyms: make-believe

PRETEND verb

Definition of pretend (verb)

1. make believe with the intent to deceive
   • "He feigned that he was ill"; "He shammed a headache"
   • synonyms: affect, dissemble, feign, sham
2. behave unnaturally or affectedly
   • "She's just acting"
   • synonyms: act, dissemble
3. put forward a claim and assert right or possession of
   • "pretend the title of King"
4. put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation
   • "I am guessing that the price of real estate will rise again"; "I cannot pretend to say that you are wrong"
   • synonyms: guess, hazard, venture
5. represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like
   • "She makes like an actress"
   • synonyms: make, make believe
6. state insincerely
   • "He professed innocence but later admitted his guilt"; "She pretended not to have known the suicide bomber"; "She pretends to be an expert on wine"
   • synonyms: profess

PRETEND adjective

Definition of pretend (adjective)

1. imagined as in a play
   • "the make-believe world of theater"; "play money"; "dangling their legs in the water to catch pretend fish"
   • synonyms: make-believe