Meaning

7 senses
  1. (intransitive)To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance.

    You don't have to pretend that the soup tastes fine.

    You don't have to pretend to like the soup.

    so tun, als ob

    де́лать видdélatʹ vid, сде́лать видsdélatʹ vid, притворя́тьсяpritvorjátʹsja

    удава́тиudaváty, вдава́тиvdaváty

  2. To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance.

    (intransitive)To engage in make-believe.

    She moved her fingers across the desk, pretending to play the piano.

    She didn't have a real piano to play, so she just pretended.

    make believe with the intent to deceive

  3. (intransitive, transitive)To feign, affect (a state, quality, etc.).

    She's pretending illness to get out of the business meeting.

    He pretended an air of indifference that he'd never assumed before.

    vortäuschen

    state insincerely

  4. (formal, intransitive)To lay claim (to an ability, status, advantage, etc.).

    The family's exile was intended to stop them pretending to the throne.

    претендоватьpretendovatʹ

  5. (obsolete, transitive)To hold before, or put forward, as a cloak or disguise for something else; to exhibit as a veil for something hidden.

  6. (obsolete, transitive)To intend; to design, to plot; to attempt.

  7. (obsolete, transitive)To hold before one; to extend.

Examples

1658 sentences
  1. Tom can't even pretend to like Mary.

    Том не може навіть зробити вигляд, що йому подобається Мері. — deniko

    ruТом не может даже прикинуться, что Мэри ему нравится. — afyodor

    deTom kann nicht einmal so tun, als möge er Mary. — al_ex_an_der

  2. I used to pretend I was Tom.

    Я колись удавав із себе Тома. — miketheknight

    deIch hatte die Angewohnheit, so zu tun, als ob ich Tom wäre. — freddy1

  3. Tom and Mary pretend to be married.

    Том та Мері роблять вигляд, що одружені. — deniko

    deTom und Maria tun so, als wären sie verheiratet. — Pfirsichbaeumchen

  4. I'm going to pretend you didn't say that.

    Я зроблю вигляд, що ти цього не казав. — deniko

    ruЯ сделаю вид, что ты этого не говорил. — marafon

  5. Tom wanted Mary to pretend to be his girlfriend.

    Том хотів, щоб Мері удавала, що вона його дівчина. — deniko

    ruТом хотел, чтобы Мэри прикинулась его подружкой. — sharptoothed

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
1. (intransitive or with 'that' clause or 'to' infinitive) To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance.:
Русский
By meaning 2
1. (intransitive or with 'that' clause or 'to' infinitive) To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance.:
2. (intransitive with 'to', formal, originally transitive) To lay claim (to an ability, status, advantage, etc.).:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
1. (intransitive or with 'that' clause or 'to' infinitive) To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance.:
1.2. (transitive) To feign, affect (a state, quality, etc.).:

Origin

From Anglo-Norman pretendre, Middle French pretendre (French prétendre (“to claim, demand”

From Anglo-Norman pretendre, Middle French pretendre (French prétendre (“to claim, demand”)), from Latin praetendere (“to put forward, hold out, pretend”), from prae- (“pre-”) + tendō (“stretch”); see tend.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

pretends, pretending, pretended, pretended
Base formpretend · to pretend
3rd person singularpretends
Present participlepretending
Past simplepretended
Past participlepretended

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theypretend
he, she, itpretends

Past simpleLesson

all personspretended

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave pretended
he, she, ithas pretended

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill pretend

Synonyms

12 synonyms
Close in meaning

Word family

13 related words

Collocations

12 patterns
  • pretending to be
  • should quit pretending
  • should stop pretending
  • pretended not to
  • quit pretending to
  • stop pretending to
  • stop pretending
  • quit pretending
  • is only pretending
  • is just pretending
  • least least pretend
  • just pretending to

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
pretend — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto