verb / adjective
pretend
prih-TEND/prɪˈtend/
Acting as if something imagined or untrue were real.
The children pretend that a cardboard box is a spaceship.
Etymology
“Stretch in front” became “put forward,” especially a statement or claim. From putting forward a claim, pretend developed the sense of presenting something false as true.
In context
just the kind of surface level reconnection that would have required me to pretend the past didn't happen.
More examples
- He pretended not to hear the question.
- She poured pretend tea into tiny cups.
- They have pretended to be explorers all afternoon.
Forms
pretend · pretends · pretended · pretending
pretense noun — An act of presenting something untrue as real.
Similar words
- feign
- Usually deliberately presents a false feeling or condition.
- make-believe
- Imaginative play rather than necessarily misleading someone.