pretended 1 of 2

1
2

pretended

2 of 2

verb

past tense of pretend

Examples 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 pretended
Adjective
The woman is long gone, so Freer has to imagine her consent — in a history so full of gaps, coercion, and disappearance, a pretended connection is better than none at all. Helen Shaw, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2022 What most activates Dunn’s rage is the misogyny that only deepened amid all the pretended freedoms of the counterculture. Sam Sacks, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022 No, seriously: People were very upset by these shoes, or at least pretended to be. Heather Wilhelm, National Review, 31 Aug. 2017
Verb
Seemingly as a gag to portray a darker Buddy, Ferrell held what appeared to be an unlit cigarette in his mouth and pretended to smoke it. Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2024 Oh Il-nam (Oh Yeong-su), a dying old man who pretended to be Gi-hun’s ally in the game. Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2024 Roc Nation agents allegedly pretended to work for the State of Texas and flashed fake badges, Buzbee said. Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024 In the meantime, Griffin pretended to like the other gift. Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 20 Dec. 2024 Upon Cannon’s announcement, one Buffalo dropped to the stage floor and pretended to make snow angels. Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024 Ryan Harris, 36, of New Orleans, was among eight people and two law firms that have been charged in what federal prosecutors say was a yearslong scheme of crashing vehicles into tractor-trailers, fleeing while passengers in those vehicles pretended to be the drivers and lying about what happened. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 14 Dec. 2024 Scottsdale police allege Hussein pretended to be a rideshare driver between March and December 2024. Jimmy Jenkins, The Arizona Republic, 13 Dec. 2024 John pretended to fake fight me at The P @princetonavnj . Danielle Jennings, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretended
Adjective
  • One person that many pay attention to is Mel Kiper, who has been a mock draft extraordinaire for decades.
    Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
  • The following scenes are set in that show and tell the ogre's story through life-size wooden puppets complete with mock strings attached to their arms.
    Caroline Reid, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The fake list contains a few different hyper-obscure characters that seem potentially unlikely to arrive.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
  • But there’s a rule in Wales where you’re not allowed to even have fake cigarettes on a film set.
    Alex Ritman, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • On the other end, Gibbs began to slither his way into open space, and the Lions assumed full control.
    Alec Lewis, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
  • As an incentive for the teams to stick around, the city assumed ownership of the land but agreed to give it back to the teams at the expiration of a ground lease in 2023, according to documents reviewed by The Post.
    Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Proponents of this theory point to Kennedy's strained relationship with the CIA after the Bay of Pigs blunder, as well as differences over how the U.S. should have approached Vietnam.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Sasaki, who was 18 at the time, encountered difficulties rehabilitating a strained muscle in his right arm.
    Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The latest double setback for Trump's plans come as the dispute threatens to turn into an open diplomatic row between the U.S. and NATO ally Denmark once the Republican is inaugurated as president for the second time on January 20.
    Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Wallace’s fourth victim, Audrey Spain, and his seventh, Vanessa Mack, were killed in almost identical fashion — with double ligatures, says Price, who was lead detective on the Spain case.
    Michael Gordon, Charlotte Observer, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Reese acted as a robot, basically.
    Simon Thompson, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Our nurses who acted with such courage and dedication during the pandemic.
    Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The experiments were conducted in a wind tunnel that simulated hovering flight conditions, with researchers focusing on accurately discerning wind directions during tethered flapping.
    Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Depending on the intensity, duration and sequence of those vibrations, sensations such as being tapped, stroked or squeezed can be simulated.
    Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Of note: Your Content must not be false, defamatory, misleading or hateful, or infringe any copyright or any other third-party rights or otherwise be unlawful.
    New York Times, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
  • But instead of mounting a defense of free speech against a lawsuit and Trump’s accusations that the network said were false and completely without merit, Paramount is considering following the example of Disney and tech oligarchs who will line up at the inauguration like Mark Zuckerberg.
    Richard Lawler, The Verge, 18 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near pretended

Cite this Entry

“Pretended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretended. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on pretended

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!