pretend to (something)

idiom

formal

: to claim that one has (something, such as a quality or ability)

She pretends to a deep religious devotion, but I don't believe her.

—usually used in negative statements

I don't pretend to any expertise in these matters.

Examples of pretend to (something) in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In recent years, the Federal Trade Commission has pointed to an uptick of scams in which cybercriminals pretend to be government officials or agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. —Brian Fung, CNN, 22 July 2024

There's a Sendik's grocery store with play food, play money and a play cash register for kids to pretend to shop. —Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 22 July 2024

Often with this scam, criminals pretend to be with utility and then request payments for services like starting new accounts, which isn't always required. —Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 17 July 2024

As the divas Dee Dee and Barry, Susan Haefner and Benjamin Howes don’t pretend to be untalented, just obnoxiously vain. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 16 July 2024