pretends

verb

present tense third-person singular of pretend
1
as in poses
to take on a false or deceptive appearance I pretended that I didn't care that my ex had a new man in her life

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in assumes
to present a false appearance of as if I would ever pretend illness just to take off a day from work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pretends And Brand New Day pretends to tell that story, for about 20 minutes. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026 Ariane lies to him and pretends to be an experienced dame and never reveals her real name. — Air Mail, 18 July 2026 But also, because The Odyssey itself is a kind of Trojan horse, a vessel that pretends to give us an entertaining story from the past while, in fact, exposing uncomfortable truths about the present. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 July 2026 The show only pretends to be organized around romantic couples. — Lillian Fishman, New Yorker, 27 June 2026 The person on the phone pretends to be IT support and tries to convince the employee to install remote desktop software. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026 Scary Movie 6 spoofed the horror flick by turning the terrifying Christmas mall massacre scene into a laugh out loud moment with Cindy being present when Art the Clown pretends to be a mall Santa. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026 Pig-butchering scams, in which a stranger pretends to befriend you and then coaxes you into putting money into a cryptocurrency scam, don’t involve that same act now urgency. — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026 Elsa argues with her mother, Isabel doesn’t like to be questioned and pretends everything’s all right, while Amalia hangs with dodgy characters and makes claims that seem real only to her. — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 25 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretends
  1. poses
  2. assumes
  3. plays
  4. simulates
  5. acts
  6. professes
  7. dissembles
  8. feigns
Verb
  • The distinction between cash and non-cash payments is also significant for retailers as the penny phaseout poses several compliance challenges.
    — Brian Delp, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The only threat Cristobal poses is to ships in the open Atlantic.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of poses
Verb
  • All of it assumes the danger sits between the CEO and the board.
    — Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • One assumes the show will continue to give Olivia Cooke invented material during the fourth season.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of assumes
Verb
  • What the Study Found A team of researchers at Texas A&M University set out to determine whether the NR4A1 receptor plays a role in the anti-aging benefits of coffee.
    — Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Esparza plays the unhinged tyrant with a quickness, his bright eyes darting and weaving with each newfangled notion.
    — Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of plays
Verb
  • The Wan Chun drill simulates the evacuation of Taiwan’s leader to a safe place in the event of war or other emergencies.
    — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Here’s music that doesn’t just deal with pain but structurally simulates it—music about falling apart that falls apart itself.
    — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of simulates
Verb
  • The short-term goal is to host performances by local country acts each month.
    — DeAsia Paige, AJC.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • If a system prioritizes goals and consistently acts to preserve or advance them, those interests are behaviorally real.
    — Andréa Morris, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of acts
Verb
  • Harry Styles professes his love for techno music via a hat during a walk in North London on June 25.
    — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026
  • All proudly professes himself as a man of faith.
    — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Definition of professes
Verb
  • With his multi-instrumentalist bandmates, PJ Moore and co-songwriter Robert Bell, Buchanan zooms into these exchanges to prolong them or dissembles them into jagged pieces that leave the bigger picture to us.
    — Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 1 Feb. 2026
Definition of dissembles
Verb
  • The heavy side part feigns an almost asymmetrical look, which offsets heaviness on the ends and frames the face in a fun way.
    — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
  • Below, Warren Zaire-Emery feigns a run towards his own goal to get on the blind side of a forward.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 June 2026
Definition of feigns

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pretending
pretends
pretense
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Cite this Entry

“Pretends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretends. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of pretends for Spanish Speakers

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