Adopt
Adopt verb - To take for one's own use (something originated by another).
Usage example: shortly after moving to the U.S., the family dutifully adopted the American tradition of having turkey for Thanksgiving
Pretend and adopt are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Pretend" instead a verb "Adopt".
Pretend
Pretend verb - To take on a false or deceptive appearance.
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
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In another instance, Homer was willing to pretend to be Selma's husband to help her adopt a child from China.
Source: Friendly Enemy -
For whatever reason, the disguise they decide to adopt requires that they pretend to be a couple.
Source: Undercover as Lovers -
Stephen and Ricky pretend to be a couple asking if they can adopt; when Karl asks them what their jobs are Stephen says he's a rapist and Ricky responds "she" disposes of the bodies and that Stephen often does them in the wrong order.
Source: Radio / The Ricky Gervais Show
Cite this Source
Pretend and Adopt. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 29, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/adopt/pretend
Adopt & Pretend. N.p., 2016. Web. 29 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/adopt/pretend>.
Pretend or Adopt. 2016. Accessed July 29, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/adopt/pretend.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "adopt" and "pretend" have occurred on timeline