/ prɪˈtend; NAmE / verb , adjective
■ verb
1.
pretend (to sb) (that ... ) to behave in a particular way, in order to make other people believe sth that is not true :
[ v ]
I'm tired of having to pretend all the time.
Of course I was wrong; it would be hypocritical to pretend otherwise .
[ v ( that )]
He pretended to his family that everything was fine.
We pretended (that) nothing had happened.
[ v to inf ]
He pretended not to notice.
She didn't love him, though she pretended to .
[ vn ] ( formal )
She pretended an interest she did not feel.
2.
( especially of children ) to imagine that sth is true as part of a game :
[ v ( that )]
Let's pretend (that) we're astronauts.
[ v ]
They didn't have any real money so they had to pretend.
3.
pretend (to sth) (usually used in negative sentences and questions) to claim to be, do or have sth, especially when this is not true :
[ v ]
I can't pretend to any great musical talent.
[ v ( that )]
I don't pretend (that) I know much about the subject, but ...
[ v to inf ]
The book doesn't pretend to be a great work of literature.
■ adjective
[ usually before noun ] ( informal ) (often used by children) not real, imaginary :
pretend cakes
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Latin praetendere stretch forth, claim, from prae before + tendere stretch. The adjective dates from the early 20th cent.