Pronunciation: /prɪˈtɛnd/
noun an act of pretending
A1 I like to play pretend with my friends.
A2 Children often use pretend play to act out different scenarios.
B1 She put on a pretend smile even though she was feeling sad.
B2 The actor's pretend accent was not very convincing in the movie.
C1 The politician's pretend concern for the environment was seen as insincere by the public.
C2 The artist's use of pretend violence in their work sparked a debate about the boundaries of art.
verb to act as if something is true when it is not
A1 I pretend to be a superhero when I play with my friends.
A2 She pretended to be sick so she could stay home from school.
B1 The actor had to pretend to be a doctor in the movie.
B2 He pretended to like the food even though he didn't.
C1 She is a great actress because she can pretend to be anyone.
C2 The spy had to pretend to be a tourist to gather information.
formal She had to pretend to enjoy the opera even though she found it boring.
informal Let's pretend we're on a tropical island for the day.
slang Stop pretending to be someone you're not.
figurative He tried to pretend that everything was fine, but deep down he was struggling.
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