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pretend

[/prɪˈtɛnd/]
verb
fingir
1. to behave as if something is true when it is not; to feign or simulate
She pretended to be sick to avoid going to work.
Ela fingiu estar doente para evitar ir ao trabalho.
2. to engage in imaginative play; to make believe
The children pretended they were astronauts exploring Mars.
As crianças fingiam que eram astronautas explorando Marte.
3. to claim or assert something falsely
Don't pretend you didn't see what happened.
Não finjas que não viste o que aconteceu.
NYC Slang
act like
Synonyms
feignsimulatefakeactmake believemasquerade
Antonyms
admitconfessrevealexposebe genuine

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
fingir
most common translation used in everyday speech
Rio de Janeiro
fingir
standard usage, sometimes informally 'fazer de conta'
São Paulo
fingir
standard usage, also 'fazer de conta' in informal contexts
Portugal
fingir
standard translation, also 'aparentar' in more formal contexts

Related Idioms & Phrases

pretend to the throne
make believe
put on an act
keep up appearances
play act
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