usage: make believe with the intent to deceive; "He feigned that he was ill"; "He shammed a headache"
2. dissemble, pretend, act
usage: behave unnaturally or affectedly; "She's just acting"
3. pretend, claim, lay claim, arrogate
usage: put forward a claim and assert right or possession of; "pretend the title of King"
4. guess, venture, pretend, hazard, speculate
usage: put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation; "I am guessing that the price of real estate will rise again"; "I cannot pretend to say that you are wrong"
5. make, pretend, make believe, act, play, represent
usage: represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like; "She makes like an actress"
6. profess, pretend, claim
usage: state insincerely; "He professed innocence but later admitted his guilt"; "She pretended not to have known the suicide bomber"; "She pretends to be an expert on wine"