1. to engage in imaginative play or role-playing, especially by children, where one pretends to be someone or something else or that a situation is different from reality
The children are playing pretend in the backyard, imagining they are astronauts on the moon.
As crianças estão brincando de faz-de-conta no quintal, imaginando que são astronautas na lua.
2. to simulate or feign something in a deceptive manner; to make believe
He was just playing pretend when he said he didn't care about the outcome.
Ele estava apenas fingindo quando disse que não se importava com o resultado.