- present participle of pretend.
pretending
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.
You know it, they know it, there’s no point pretending otherwise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
If you are consciously aware that you're pretending or you're saying things that aren't true, then it's bad acting.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Maybe it’s bad news when even the economists have quit pretending that everything will be fine.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 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
You can’t just go through life doing whatever you feel like and pretending to have a personal emergency because a beach day sounds fun.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
