pretence

American

[pri-tens, pree-tens] / prɪˈtɛns, ˈpri tɛns /

noun

British.

variant of pretense.

pretence British

/ prɪˈtɛns /

noun

the act of pretending
a false display; affectation
a claim, esp a false one, to a right, title, or distinction
make-believe or feigning
a false claim or allegation; pretext
a less common word for pretension

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"And yet they still have the pretence of being a developing country in the WTO and in the World Bank, and they could suspend that," Malpass added.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

Mr. Macron has since abandoned any pretence of an economic-growth agenda.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 25, 2026

Hull Crown Court heard that Reyes flew from Columbia to the UK via Spain under the pretence of looking for work in London.

From BBC • Sep. 22, 2025

The prosecution alleges Ms Patterson invited the group to lunch "on the pretence she'd been diagnosed with cancer".

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2025

The pretence of my life had to become a reality if I was to survive any of this.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023