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 To make each of their exes jealous, Bea and Ben, who secretly can’t stand each other, pretend to be madly in love at the wedding. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024 Even now, some modern studies used in the design of fall-detection technology rely on methods like hiring stunt actors who pretend to fall. IEEE Spectrum, 1 Mar. 2024 For his part, Griffith says policy on homelessness is best left to others and doesn’t pretend to be the solution himself. Luis Melecio-Zambrano, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2024 Still, tired job applicants are understandably feeling a bit bristled by having to take the time to pretend to want to work somewhere. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2024 In the past few years race has been the center of a national conversation, which has created division between professionals who care about underrepresented groups and those who pretend to care but actually don’t. Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 No law compels anyone to pretend to believe that India is a woman. Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 But with whom, exactly, can the international community work on such a plan when there is no longer, without Henry, even a puppet remaining in power who can pretend to represent the Haitian people? Amy Wilentz, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024 Others want to take an adorable paw or floppy ear and pretend to eat it. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pretend to (something).' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near pretend to (something)

Cite this Entry

“Pretend to (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretend%20to%20%28something%29. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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