[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/pretense/)

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# pretense

noun (pretenses); British spelling is «pretence»

«pretense» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

A pretense is a false show, where someone acts as if something is true when it is not. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pretense/#m1)

### In the lessons

in tales a trick where a character pretends to be something he is not, to fool another

### Examples

- He came to the king on the pretense of being a servant. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pretense/#x1)
- Under the pretense of buying the hare, the man stole it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pretense/#x2)
- The cat made a pretense of being asleep. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pretense/#x3)

### Note

nothing for maths

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «pretense» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pretense/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«pretense» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/pretense.html) on Mova free.