pretend
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I don’t pretend to know the motivations of Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and other tech titans who last weekend announced their view that the development of artificial intelligence requires government oversight to avert global catastrophe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
We know from the supermarket magazines and internet scandal sites that some actors are seemingly as crazy as these actors pretend to be.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
He wasn’t working overtime to pretend he didn’t love this music exactly as fiercely as the rest of us punters.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
“This won’t be easy, and I won’t pretend otherwise,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Others gape or pretend not to watch as Caesar returns the salute.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Fearing that the surprise visitor might be a “dangle”—someone who pretends to switch sides to gain a foothold in the enemy camp—his hosts were wary at first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
What’s disheartening is that she pretends there is no connection, telling Vogue Italia last week, “Algorithms and artificial intelligence are the opposite of taking risks to me, and that is the opposite of making art.”
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
"He is not happy, he pretends he is happy," said Tamim.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Sean O'Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of the country's biggest unions, verbally attacked Mullin at a 2023 hearing, calling him a "greedy CEO who pretends like he's self-made".
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
Grandpa Ed pretends that it’s just the two of them going out for a big birthday dinner, and Annabelle pretends not to see Gina’s car in the lot.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
He then pretended to board the old Air Force One, only to secretly switch planes by hiding in a refueling truck, due to security threats.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
“So we just pretended like none of that was there.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Rand pretended to be me and I pretended to be Rand,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Many pretended it wasn't happening at all, but that's harder to do as the front line creeps closer to the city.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
Ella, Jason, and Brigit pretended to head for the emergency Institute-wide meeting, then scurried off to the Taste Tower.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
After the pleasantries and the pretending are out of the way, we get down to details.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
He also singled out Anthropic’s Amodei, who he claimed is pretending to be a “perfect little angel,” and ruled out additional AI regulations.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
No one is pretending it's just what Farage tried to joke was a "little, local difficulty".
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
The military has also historically understood something Hegseth apparently does not: Morale does not come from pretending everything is fine.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
To be in disguise was different than mere pretending, for a disguise was intended to actually fool people.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Vocabulary lists containing pretend
"Eleven"
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"Eleven," Vocabulary from the short story
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"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, Chapters 1–3
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