expresses feigning or imagining

to describe intentional falsehoods, role‑playing, or pretending behaviors

children’s pretend play, acting on stage, making accusations about someone lying

everyday conversation, informal settings, storytelling, social situations where a person may be hiding the truth

pretend to; do something

pretend to; do something

any activity or state (e.g., sleep, understand, be happy, follow instructions); typically verbs or adjectives describing an action or condition being feigned

• just
• only
• try to
• don’t
• can’t
• actually (despite pretending)

• feign
• fake
• act as if
• often used interchangeably in informal speech

using *pretend doing* instead of the infinitive form; mixing with other verbs like *pretendingly* without an object

feign, fake, put on an act – all convey intentional deception but may differ in tone or context

French learners might be confused by idiomatic constructions such as ‘faire semblant de’, which can sound more formal and less natural than English’s straightforward use of ‘pretend to’.

• feign
• fake
• simulate
• act as if

The phrase conveys a playful intent when used among children or friends (e.g., pretending a stick is a magic wand) versus a potentially dishonest motive when applied to adults lying about actions they are actually performing.

Context‑dependent; it can signal sarcasm, humor, or criticism depending on the speaker’s attitude toward the pretended behavior.

“He pretended to be asleep.”

This phrase is versatile in both casual and critical contexts, but learners should be mindful of its connotations in professional settings.

use ‘feign’ (formal) for illness or emotion