What does pretend mean?
Definitions for pretend
prɪˈtɛndpre·tend
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word pretend.
Princeton's WordNet
make-believe, pretendadjective
the enactment of a pretense
"it was just pretend"
make-believe, pretendverb
imagined as in a play
"the make-believe world of theater"; "play money"; "dangling their legs in the water to catch pretend fish"
feign, sham, pretend, affect, dissembleverb
make believe with the intent to deceive
"He feigned that he was ill"; "He shammed a headache"
dissemble, pretend, actverb
behave unnaturally or affectedly
"She's just acting"
pretendverb
put forward a claim and assert right or possession of
"pretend the title of King"
guess, venture, pretend, hazardverb
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"
make, pretend, make believeverb
represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like
"She makes like an actress"
profess, pretendverb
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"
Wiktionary
pretendverb
To claim, allege, especially when falsely or as a form of deliberate deception.
pretendverb
To feign, affect (a state, quality etc.).
pretendverb
To lay claim to (an ability, status, advantage etc.).
pretendverb
To make oneself appear to do or be doing something; to engage in make-believe.
Etymology: From pretendre, pretendre (French prétendre), from praetendere, present active infinitive of praetendo, from prae- + tendo; see tend.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
To PRETENDverb
Etymology: prætendo, Lat. pretendre, Fr.
Lucagus, to lash his horses, bends
Prone to the wheels, and his left foot pretends. Dryden.All these movements seemed to be pretended by moving of the earth in Sussex. John Hayward.
This let him know,
Lest wilfully transgressing he pretend
Surprisal. John Milton.What reason then can any man pretend against religion, when it is so apparently for the benefit, not only of human society, but of every particular person. John Tillotson.
’Tis their interest to guard themselves from those riotous effects of pretended zeal, nor is it less their duty. D. of Piety.
Warn all creatures from thee
Henceforth; lest that too heav’nly form, pretended
To hellish falshood, snare them. John Milton, Par. Lost.Chiefs shall be grudg’d the part which they pretend. Dry.
Are they not rich? what more can they pretend? Alexander Pope.
To Pretendverb
What peace can be, where both to one pretend?
But they more diligent, and we more strong. Dryden.In those countries that pretend to freedom, princes are subject to those laws which their people have chosen. Jonathan Swift.
Of the ground of redness in this sea are we not fully satisfied; for there is another red sea, whose name we pretend not to make out from these principles. Brown.
Wikipedia
Pretend
Pretend is a popular song, written in 1952 by Dan Belloc, Lew Douglas, Cliff Parman and Frank Levere. The best-known recording, by Nat King Cole was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 2346. It first reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on January 31, 1953 and lasted 20 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 3. It also reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1953, just behind Frankie Laine's chart topping hit, "I Believe". Cole would later re-record the song for his 1961 album The Nat King Cole Story. The recording by Ralph Marterie was released by Mercury Records as catalog number 70045. It reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on February 7, 1953 at No. 16, its only week on the chart. The recording by Eileen Barton was released by Coral Records as catalog number 60927. It reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on March 7, 1953 at No. 18, its only week on the chart. On the Cash Box charts, where all versions of the song were combined, the song reached a peak of No. 5 in 1953.
ChatGPT
pretend
Pretend refers to the act of making believe or behaving as if something is true when it is not. It involves creating an imaginary circumstance or scenario often for the purpose of play, exploration, or to deceive. Pretending can include role-playing, storytelling, make-believe, or feigning emotions or characteristics.
Webster Dictionary
Pretendverb
to lay a claim to; to allege a title to; to claim
Pretendverb
to hold before, or put forward, as a cloak or disguise for something else; to exhibit as a veil for something hidden
Pretendverb
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; as, to pretend friendship
Pretendverb
to intend; to design; to plot; to attempt
Pretendverb
to hold before one; to extend
Pretendverb
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
Pretendverb
to hold out the appearance of being, possessing, or performing; to profess; to make believe; to feign; to sham; as, to pretend to be asleep
Etymology: [OE. pretenden to lay claim to, F. prtendre, L. praetendere, praetentum, to stretch forward, pretend, simulate, assert; prae before + tendere to stretch. See Tend, v. t. ]
Wikidata
Pretend
"Pretend" is a popular song, written in 1952 by Lew Douglas, Cliff Parman, and Frank Levere. The best-known recording, by Nat King Cole was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 2346. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on January 31, 1953 and lasted 20 weeks on the chart, peaking at #3. Cole would later re-record the song for his 1961 album The Nat King Cole Story. The recording by Ralph Marterie was released by Mercury Records as catalog number 70045. It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on February 7, 1953 at #16, its only week on the chart. The recording by Eileen Barton was released by Coral Records as catalog number 60927. It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on March 7, 1953 at #18, its only week on the chart. On the Cash Box charts, where all versions of the song were combined, the song reached a peak of #5 in 1953. The song was subsequently recorded by Tab Smith, reaching #89 on the Billboard chart in 1957, and by Carl Mann, reaching #57 on Billboard and #56 on Cash Box in 1959. Alvin Stardust's cover version was a popular hit in the United Kingdom in 1981, when it reached number four in the UK singles chart. This cover was largely based on Carl Mann's 1959-version of this song.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Pretend
prē-tend′, v.t. to hold out as a cloak for something else: to lay claim to: to attempt, undertake: to offer as true something that is not so: to affect to feel: (obs.) to offer, present.—v.i. to put in a claim: to make-believe.—ns. Pretence′, something pretended: appearance or show to hide reality: false show or reason: pretext: assumption: claim; Preten′dant, -ent, a pretender.—adjs. Preten′ded, Preten′sed, ostensible, assumed.—adv. Preten′dedly.—ns. Preten′der; Preten′dership.—adv. Preten′dingly.—n. Preten′sion, act of pretending: something pretended: false or fictitious appearance: claim either true or false.—adj. Preten′tious, marked by or containing pretence: claiming more than is warranted: presumptuous: arrogant.—adv. Preten′tiously, in a pretentious manner.—n. Preten′tiousness, the quality of being pretentious. [Fr. prétendre—L. prætendĕre—præ, before, tendĕre, tentum, tensum, to stretch.]
British National Corpus
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'pretend' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4246
Verbs Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'pretend' in Verbs Frequency: #597
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of pretend in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of pretend in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1
Examples of pretend in a Sentence
The markets have never really priced a country leaving the euro system, investors were positioned for 'an extend and pretend' scenario, not for capital controls or a Grexit.
Of course I don't always enjoy being a mother. At those times my husband and I hole up somewhere in the wine country, eat, drink, make mad love and pretend we were born sterile and raise poodles.
The men pretend to love them but sell them into the sex industry in China. These women, ashamed and alone, don't know where to turn.
I ’m very steadfast in what I believe, i don’t leave my conscience and my Apostolic Christian soul out in my vehicle and come in here and pretend to be something I ’m not. It’s easy to talk the talk, but can you walk the walk ?
It wouldn't make much sense now to just pretend that nothing is going on.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for pretend
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- زعم, ادعىArabic
- fingir, fer veureCatalan, Valencian
- předstíratCzech
- foregiveDanish
- vorgebenGerman
- fingirSpanish
- väittää, teeskennelläFinnish
- faire semblant, prétendre à, prétendre, feindreFrench
- leig airScottish Gaelic
- fingereItalian
- 装う, 振りをする, 見せ掛けるJapanese
- 체하다Korean
- fingo, simuloLatin
- whakataruna, whakatakuneMāori
- berpura-pura, berlagakMalay
- voorwenden, doen alsof, veinzenDutch
- udawaćPolish
- fingirPortuguese
- pretinde, prefaceRomanian
- делать вид, притворяться, сделать вид, притворитьсяRussian
- låtsasSwedish
- удавати, вдаватиUkrainian
- دکھاواUrdu
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"pretend." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/pretend>.
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