INDEX:
1. to pretend that something is true
2. to pretend to be someone else
3. someone who pretends to be someone else
4. to pretend something as a game
5. pretending to be friendly, sincere etc
6. to change your way of speaking or behaving in order to impress people
7. an attempt to pretend that something is true
RELATED WORDS
to pretend not to notice somebody/something : ↑ IGNORE (2)
made to look real or natural : ↑ ARTIFICIAL
polite in an insincere way : ↑ POLITE (6)
see also
↑ FALSE
↑ DISHONEST
↑ LIE
↑ CHEAT
↑ TRICK/DECEIVE
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1. to pretend that something is true
▷ pretend /prɪˈtend/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to behave as though something is true when you know that it is not :
▪ We thought that he was really hurt, but he was just pretending.
pretend (that)
▪ Bill closed his eyes, and pretended that the war was over and that he was safe at home.
pretend to do something
▪ I pretended not to see her, and carried on walking down the street.
pretend to be happy/ill/angry etc
▪ She pretended to be ill and took a day off work.
▷ make out /ˌmeɪk ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb] informal
to pretend that a situation exists in order to deceive someone :
make out (that)
▪ We managed to fool the ticket collector by making out we couldn’t speak English.
▪ Two days later Joyce phoned to ask about the check, so I had to make out I’d already mailed it.
make something out to be
▪ They made it out to be a really interesting job, but in fact it was ridiculously boring.
▷ be putting it on /biː ˌpʌtɪŋ ɪt ˈɒn/ [verb phrase] spoken
to pretend to be ill, upset, injured etc, because you want to avoid doing something or you want people to feel sorry for you :
▪ I don’t think she’s really ill - she’s just putting it on because she doesn’t want to go to school.
▪ I couldn’t tell if Harvey was putting it on, or if he really was upset.
▷ be faking it /biː ˈfeɪkɪŋ ɪt/ [verb phrase] informal
to pretend to be interested, ill etc, when you are not :
▪ The kid is always saying he’s too sick to go to school, and his parents figure he’s faking it.
▪ I look at all the faces around me. Are these people really that happy? Or are they just faking it like I am?
▷ live a lie /ˌlɪv ə ˈlaɪ/ [verb phrase]
to pretend all the time that you feel or believe something that you do not feel or believe :
▪ I had to leave him - I couldn’t go on living a lie.
▷ keep up appearances /ˌkiːp ʌp əˈpɪ ə rənsə̇z/ [verb phrase]
to pretend that everything in your life is still as happy and successful as it used to be, even though you have suffered some kind of trouble or loss :
▪ Of course, he tries to keep up appearances, but he lives entirely off borrowed money.
▪ She put Christmas decorations in the window just to keep up appearances.
2. to pretend to be someone else
▷ pretend /prɪˈtend/ [transitive verb]
to behave as if you are someone else and try to make other people believe this :
pretend to be somebody
▪ We pretended to be students and got into the club for free.
pretend (that)
▪ They got into the house by pretending they worked for the electricity company.
▷ make yourself out to be /ˌmeɪk jɔːʳself ˈaʊt tə biː/ [verb phrase]
to pretend that you are cleverer, richer, more important etc than you really are :
▪ Richard led us around the art gallery, making himself out to be some kind of expert on modern art.
▪ What I don’t like about her is that she makes herself out to be something special.
▷ impersonate /ɪmˈpɜːʳsəneɪt/ [transitive verb]
to behave as though you are someone with official power or someone famous, either for dishonest reasons or in order to entertain people :
▪ I got home to find him impersonating Elvis Presley in front of the mirror.
▪ It’s illegal to impersonate a police officer.
▷ do an impersonation/do an impression /duː ən ɪmˌpɜːʳsəˈneɪʃ ə n, duː ən ɪmˈpreʃ ə n/ [verb phrase]
to speak, walk, or behave like someone else, in order to make people laugh :
do an impersonation/do an impression of
▪ Stuart did a brilliant impersonation of the boss.
▪ a comedian with his own TV show, who does impressions of famous politicians
▷ role play /ˈrəʊl pleɪ/ [countable/uncountable noun]
when you pretend to be someone else and behave as they would behave, especially as a way of learning about a situation or developing a skill :
▪ The course uses role play to teach you how to deal with difficult or aggressive customers.
▷ pose as /ˈpəʊz æz/ [verb phrase not in passive]
to pretend to be someone else, especially someone in an official position, in order to make it easier for you to do something bad or illegal :
▪ He posed as a doctor to gain access to the hospital.
▪ There have been cases of thieves posing as telephone engineers to trick people into letting them into their homes.
▷ masquerade as /mæskəˈreɪd æz/ [transitive verb not in passive]
to pretend that you are someone else, especially by dressing or behaving in the way that they do - used especially in literature and stories :
▪ He got into the stadium masquerading as a security guard.
▪ A journalist masquerading as a businessman approached the politicians, and offered them bribes.
▷ disguise as /dɪsˈgaɪz æz/ [transitive verb]
to change your appearance, especially your clothes, so that you look like someone else and people cannot recognize you :
▪ He escaped across the border disguised as a priest.
disguise yourself as
▪ Maybe you could disguise yourself as a waiter and sneak in there.
3. someone who pretends to be someone else
▷ impostor /ɪmˈpɒstəʳǁɪmˈpɑːs-/ [countable noun]
someone who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive people and gain something such as money or power :
▪ It was not the real Dr Frazer but an impostor.
▪ The man registered at a Las Vegas hotel as Dustin Hoffman, and it wasn’t until he left without paying his bill that people realized he was an impostor.
▷ charlatan /ˈʃɑːʳlət ə n/ [countable noun]
someone who pretends to have special skills or knowledge, for example as a doctor or teacher, when in fact they do not :
▪ No. She isn’t a miracle worker. She isn’t even a doctor. She’s a complete charlatan.
▪ Some people said that he was one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived; others claimed he was a charlatan.
▷ bogus /ˈbəʊgəs/ [adjective only before noun]
pretending to have a particular job or position that you do not have, in order to do something dishonest or illegal :
▪ The government has announced tough new measures to deal with bogus asylum-seekers.
bogus official/social worker/policeman etc
▪ The child was taken away from her parents by a bogus social worker.
▪ There has been a spate of incidents where bogus officials have called on the homes of elderly people.
4. to pretend something as a game
▷ pretend /prɪˈtend/ [transitive verb]
to pretend something as a game, or because you enjoy it :
pretend (that)
▪ I like to drive around in my brother’s BMW and pretend I’m a rich businessman.
pretend to be
▪ He burst into the room with a toy gun in his hand, pretending to be a gangster.
▷ make believe /ˈmeɪk bə̇ˌliːv/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to pretend that pleasant things are happening, that you are someone or somewhere you want to be, etc :
make believe (that)
▪ The two little girls used to make believe that they were princesses.
make believe
▪ Right, kids. We don’t have any proper cowboy hats so you’ll have to make believe.
make-believe [uncountable noun]
▪ She’s not really a queen -- it’s only make-believe.
▷ play also play at British /pleɪ, ˈpleɪ æt/ [verb]
if children play or play at something, they pretend to be a particular type of person or to do a particular thing, as a game :
▪ When I was young we played at pirates whenever we were on the beach.
▪ When my sister was little, she always wanted to play school.
play doctors and nurses
▪ Did you ever play doctors and nurses when you were small?
play happy families British /play house American
pretend to be a family
▪ Come on - let’s go inside and play house!
5. pretending to be friendly, sincere etc
▷ insincere /ˌɪnsɪnˈsɪəʳ◂/ [adjective]
someone who is insincere says things that they do not really mean, for example when they praise you or say something friendly :
▪ ‘It’s so good to see you again,’ she said, with an insincere smile.
▪ an insincere compliment
▪ He always praised everyone, so it was difficult to tell if he was being insincere or not.
▷ hypocritical /ˌhɪpəˈkrɪtɪk ə l◂/ [adjective]
pretending to be morally good or to have beliefs that you do not really have :
▪ I think it’s a little hypocritical to get married in a church when you don’t believe in God.
▪ Politicians are so hypocritical - they preach about ‘family values’ while they all seem to be having affairs.
hypocrite /ˈhɪpəkrɪt/ []
someone who pretends to have strong opinions about how people should behave, but who does not behave like this themselves. :
▪ My dad is such a hypocrite - he says I shouldn’t smoke, but he smokes 20 a day.
▷ phoney/phony /ˈfəʊni/ [countable noun] especially American, informal
someone who pretends to be good, clever, kind etc when really they are not :
▪ When I realized what a phoney he was I was devastated.
▪ I can’t stand her -- she’s such a phoney.
▷ two-faced /ˌtuː ˈfeɪst◂/ [adjective]
pretending that you like someone by behaving in a friendly way towards them when you are with them, but behaving in an unkind way when they are not there :
▪ I’ve never met anyone so two-faced: she’s sweet and charming to your face, and then goes and complains about you to the boss!
▷ false /fɔːls/ [adjective]
false emotions are not real and the person is only pretending to feel them :
▪ ‘Merry Christmas,’ she said with false heartiness.
▪ Her face took on a look of false delight.
▷ mock /mɒkǁmɑːk/ [adjective only before noun]
mock surprise/horror/indignation etc
surprise etc that you pretend to feel, especially as a joke :
▪ Diana gave her cousin a look of mock horror and then disappeared through the door, smiling.
in mock surprise/horror etc
showing mock surprise, horror etc
▪ The grey eyes widened in mock surprise. ‘How unusual to meet you here,’ she said sarcastically.
▪ ‘It’s not fair,’ he complained, pulling at his hair in mock distress. ‘I really wanted to visit your parents!’
6. to change your way of speaking or behaving in order to impress people
▷ put on /ˌpʊt ˈɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to speak or behave in a way that is not your usual way of speaking or behaving. :
be putting it on
▪ He wasn’t really drunk. He was just putting it on.
put on something
▪ Whenever the boss is around she puts on this sick little smile.
put on an accent
▪ Valerie put on a posh accent and asked to see the manager immediately.
▷ affected /əˈfektɪd, əˈfektəd/ [adjective]
someone who is affected is not natural or sincere because they are trying to make people think they are better than they really are :
▪ I can’t bear him -- he’s so loud and affected.
▪ That stupid affected laugh of hers really annoys me.
▪ She treated her guests with an affected politeness.
▷ assume /əˈsjuːmǁəˈsuːm/ [transitive verb] formal
to behave or speak in a way in which you do not usually behave or speak, especially so that you look more confident or feel better :
▪ When socializing with his co-workers he would assume a hearty, over-bearing manner.
▪ Assuming a carefree air, Luke picked up his jacket and walked to the door.
▷ artificial /ˌɑːʳtɪˈfɪʃ ə l◂, ˌɑːʳtəˈfɪʃ ə l◂/ [adjective]
a person or their behaviour that is artificial is not natural or sincere, because they are pretending to be something that they are not :
▪ Carter was saying all the right things, but his smile was artificial, and I knew I couldn’t trust him.
▪ On the surface she seems quite a pleasant woman, but there’s something very artificial about her.
7. an attempt to pretend that something is true
▷ pretence British /pretense American /prɪˈtensǁˈpriːtens/ [countable noun usually singular]
an attempt to pretend that something is true, especially in order to deceive people :
pretence of
▪ After my mother left, my father gave up even the pretense of caring for anyone besides himself.
pretence that
▪ The worst thing about liberal academics is the pretence that they are somehow more open-minded than their opponents.
on the pretence that/of
pretending that it is the reason for what you are doing
▪ Wilson asked Carly out to dinner, on the pretence that he wanted to talk to her about business.
▪ The first time she had called was on the pretense of finding out how Letia was.
make a pretence of doing something
pretend to do it
▪ Mr Tellwright made no pretence of concealing his satisfaction.
keep up the pretence
continue pretending
▪ After two weeks he could keep up the pretence no longer and decided to tell her the truth.
▷ charade /ʃəˈrɑːdǁʃəˈreɪd/ [countable noun]
a situation in which people pretend that something is true and behave as if it were true, especially when everyone really knows that it is not true :
▪ The trial was just a charade -- the verdict had already been decided.
▪ Simon told Susan that his marriage was a charade, continued only for the sake of the children.
▷ sham /ʃæm/ [singular noun]
an attempt to deceive people by pretending that something is true, especially if it is easy for people to see that it is not true :
▪ She believed Rodney’s sudden change in attitude was only a sham.
▪ The election was a sham. Officials intimidated peasants into voting for the government candidates, or simply stuffed the ballot boxes.
▷ front /frʌnt/ [singular noun]
an organization or activity that seems to be legal and ordinary but which is secretly being used for an illegal purpose :
▪ The club was just a front - Luchese’s real business was drug smuggling and gun running.
front for
▪ The charity has been accused of being a front for anti-government activity.