“pretends” is a form of
pretend
/pɹəˈtɛnd/ verb, adjective, noun
Forms pretends pretending pretended
- verb (intransitive or with 'that' clause or 'to' infinitive) To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance. “You don't have to pretend that the soup tastes fine.”
- verb To engage in make-believe. “She moved her fingers across the desk, pretending to play the piano.”
- verb (transitive) To feign, affect (a state, quality, etc.). “She's pretending illness to get out of the business meeting.”
- verb (intransitive with 'to', formal, originally transitive) To lay claim (to an ability, status, advantage, etc.). “The family's exile was intended to stop them pretending to the throne.”
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To hold before, or put forward, as a cloak or disguise for something else; to exhibit as a veil for something hidden.
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To intend; to design, to plot; to attempt.
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To hold before one; to extend.
- adjective Not really what it is represented as being; imaginary, feigned. “As children we used to go on "spying" missions around the neighbour's house, but it was all pretend.”
- noun (childish, informal) The act of engaging in pretend play. “We used to dress up in our grandparents' old clothes and play pretend.”
Synonyms
make like mimic make-believe feign sham affect dissemble act guess venture hazard make make believe profess
Etymology
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.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To lay a claim to; to allege a title to; to claim.
- verb To hold before, or put forward, as a cloak or disguise for something else; to exhibit as a veil for something hidden. [R.]
- verb 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. "Countries that pretend to freedom." Swift.
- verb 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. "[He] pretended to drink the waters." Macaulay.
Etymology [OE. pretenden to lay claim to, F. prétendre, L. praetendere, praetentum, to stretch forward, pretend, simulate, assert; prae before + tendere to stretch. See Tend, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “pretend”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details