pretended

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.

It’s been widely reported that in the ’80s and ’90s, Trump sometimes pretended to be his own publicist, John Barron, when talking to reporters.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026

Dad pretended nothing had gone wrong, which felt worse than being chewed out.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

“He looks like Eliot Ness,” the president declared of his veep in a televised Cabinet meeting in May while high-level administration officials pretended to laugh.

From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026

“Not only has he not come up with a plan, he has pretended we don’t need one,” said Patrick Murphy, a professor of public affairs at the University of San Francisco.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2026

It was the sort of thing she'd seen in one of the Marvellian vintage catalogs Mama pretended not to order from—Victoria Valerino’s Vintage Vanguard.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton