- (v.i.) To put in or make, a claim, truly or falsely; to allege a title; to lay claim to or strive after, something; -- usually with to.
- (v.t.) To hold before or put forward, as a cloak or disguise for something else; to exhibit as a veil for something hidden.
- (v.i.) To hold out the appearance of being, possessing or performing; to profess; to make believe; to feign; to sham; as, to pretend to be asleep.
- (v.t.) To intend; to design; to plot; to attempt.
- (v.t.) To hold out or represent, falsely; to put forward or offer, as true or real (something untrue or unreal); to show hypocritically or for the purpose of deceiving; to simulate; to feign; as, to pretend friendship.
- (v.t.) To lay a claim to; to allege a title to; to claim.
- (v.t.) To hold before one; to extend.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). pretend. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/pretend/definitions/2049001 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "pretend" http://smartdefine.org/pretend/definitions/2049001 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, pretend, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/pretend/definitions/2049001>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "pretend" 27 May 2011. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/pretend/definitions/2049001> |