What does "pretend" mean?

1. (to act as if) to behave as if something is true when you know it is not. 2. (to claim a skill or status) to claim that you have a certain skill, title, or right. 3. (imaginary or fake) not real; used in games or to describe something that is a copy. 4. (imaginative play) the act of playing and imagining things.

How do you use "pretend"?

Commonly followed by a 'to' infinitive or a 'that' clause. Often takes the preposition 'to' when followed by a noun phrase.

Is it correct to say "He pretended being asleep."?

No — say "He pretended to be asleep.". The verb 'pretend' is followed by a to-infinitive, not a gerund (-ing form).

pretend

v. · adj. · n.

US //pɹiˈtɛnd// UK //pɹɪtˈɛnd// pre·tend

1 to act as if (v.)
B1 Intermediate

to behave as if something is true when you know it is not.

to simulate a state, quality, or identity, either for deception or as part of a game.

Example

The children liked to pretend they were explorers in a deep jungle.

Example

She had to pretend to be interested in his long stories about stamp collecting just to remain polite during the dinner party.

Usage

Commonly followed by a 'to' infinitive or a 'that' clause.
- feign
- fake
- simulate
- reveal
- be honest
Pitfall

He pretended being asleep.

He pretended to be asleep.

The verb 'pretend' is followed by a to-infinitive, not a gerund (-ing form).
2 to claim a skill or status (v.)
C1 Advanced Formal

to claim that you have a certain skill, title, or right.

to lay claim to a particular status, right, or ability; often used in the negative to suggest modesty or honesty.

Example

I do not pretend to be an expert on this difficult subject.

Example

He did not pretend to any great legal knowledge, yet his instinctive sense of justice often led him to the correct conclusion.

Usage

Often takes the preposition 'to' when followed by a noun phrase.

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3 imaginary or fake (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

not real; used in games or to describe something that is a copy.

imaginary or feigned; used attributively to describe objects or situations in play.

Example

The little boy served his mother some pretend tea in a plastic cup.

Example

The training exercise involved a pretend emergency to test how quickly the hospital staff could evacuate the building.
- real
- genuine
4 imaginative play (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

the act of playing and imagining things.

the activity of engaging in imaginative or make-believe play.

Example

The sisters spent the whole afternoon lost in a world of pretend.

Example

Psychologists suggest that engaging in games of pretend is a vital stage in a child's cognitive and social development.
- make believe
- roleplay
- reality

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂-der. Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Latin prae- Proto-Indo-European *ten- Proto-Indo-European *tend-der. Proto-Italic *tendō Latin tendō Latin praetendōbor. Anglo-Norman pretendreder. English pretend 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.

Word family

Verbpretend
Verbpretended