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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Some might be disgusted that a person would pretend to be emotional simply to drive the AI in a preferred direction. —

Lance Eliot, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025 Jordan Binnington can pretend to want to fight all three American goalies at the same time. —

Sean McIndoe, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025 Maxwell Braunstein and Miles Mitchell didn’t need to pretend to be their famous doppelgängers to get into the 2025 Golden Globes. —

Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2025 These gatherings do what most democracies only pretend to: trust normal people to make decisions on difficult policy questions. —

Nick Romeo, The New Yorker, 31 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pretend to (something)

Cite this Entry

Style

“Pretend to (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretend%20to%20%28something%29. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation