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 statementsI don't pretend to any expertise in these matters.
Examples of pretend to (something) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Bertille Bak’s five-part video installation Mineur Mineur (2022), children from Bolivia, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, and Thailand pretend to get dressed to go for work in the mines.
—
Brian Ng, ARTnews.com, 26 June 2024
Scammers will pretend to be from a reputable company to warn you about problems with your account or order.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA TODAY, 4 June 2024
In his teenage playacting, Carl is fond of adopting the mode of a worldly aesthete, in the way that a lot of gay kids pretend to be a sort of Truman Capote or Tennessee Williams.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2024
Kids pretend to learn by stuffing information into short-term memory just long enough to stay out of trouble.
—Marion Brady, Orlando Sentinel, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for pretend to (something) 
Brian Ng, ARTnews.com, 26 June 2024
Scammers will pretend to be from a reputable company to warn you about problems with your account or order.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA TODAY, 4 June 2024
In his teenage playacting, Carl is fond of adopting the mode of a worldly aesthete, in the way that a lot of gay kids pretend to be a sort of Truman Capote or Tennessee Williams.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2024
Kids pretend to learn by stuffing information into short-term memory just long enough to stay out of trouble.
—Marion Brady, Orlando Sentinel, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for pretend to (something)
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 2 Jul. 2024.
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