pretence
Americannoun
noun
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the act of pretending
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a false display; affectation
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a claim, esp a false one, to a right, title, or distinction
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make-believe or feigning
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a false claim or allegation; pretext
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a less common word for pretension
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.
Some 55 Ghanaians have been killed while fighting in Ukraine, the country's foreign minister said on Friday, promising a crackdown on illicit recruitment schemes luring citizens to Russia under false pretences.
From Barron's
Scappaticci was engaged in a pretence to help shore up his reputation: publicly fighting a legal case, while hoping – and expecting – he would lose.
From BBC
Mr. Macron has since abandoned any pretence of an economic-growth agenda.
Rachel and Stephen huddled around the illustration in the castle foyer with faithful Reece, under the pretence of translating its Latin inscription, before the two traitors asked Reece to make himself scarce.
From BBC
They said they had been sold the properties under false pretences and cheated out of their life savings by David Welch - the director of Exclusive Resorts Ltd.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
