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pretend verb (pretended, pretending) 1 tr & intr to make believe; to act as if, or give the impression that, something is the case when it is not • Let's pretend we're dinosaurs • pretend to be asleep. 2 tr & intr to imply or claim falsely • pretended not to know. 3 to claim to feel something; to profess something falsely • pretend friendship towards someone. adj, colloq especially used by or to children: imaginary • a pretend cave.
ETYMOLOGY: 15c: from Latin praetendere to stretch forth.
pretend to something 1 to claim to have (a skill, etc), especially falsely. 2 historical to lay claim, especially doubtful claim, to (eg the throne). |
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Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.
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