pretend

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To act as if something is true when it is not.

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

2. 2
   adj

   Not real; imaginary or only acted out, especially in children's play.

   The children built a pretend castle out of cardboard.

3. 3
   noun

   The act of imagining or pretending.

   Don't worry, the monster isn't real; it's just pretend.

4. 4
   verb

   To claim a right to something such as a title or position.

   The exiled prince still pretended to the throne.

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.

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