as in pretends
to take on a false or deceptive appearance
she's not half as innocent as she likes to let on
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Recent Examples of lets on
But as this first trailer lets on, Beetz’s character isn’t one to go down without a fight.
—
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 5 Jan. 2026
In flashbacks, the question of who is at fault in Cooper’s death is much more ambiguous than Aggie lets on in her state of eclipsing grief.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
Analysts say the latest developments in Sino-Russian relations reinforce longstanding suspicions defense cooperation between the quasi allies runs deeper than Beijing lets on.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 5 Jan. 2026
In flashbacks, the question of who is at fault in Cooper’s death is much more ambiguous than Aggie lets on in her state of eclipsing grief.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
Analysts say the latest developments in Sino-Russian relations reinforce longstanding suspicions defense cooperation between the quasi allies runs deeper than Beijing lets on.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lets on
pretends
Verb
-
But nobody pretends that number is reliable.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
31 Oct. 2025
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Each night on her ongoing Short n’ Sweet tour Carpenter pretends to arrest a member of the crowd.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lets on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lets%20on. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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