PRETENCE


Meaning of PRETENCE in English

(~s)

Note: in AM, use 'pretense'

1.

A ~ is an action or way of behaving that is intended to make people believe something that is not true.

Welland made a ~ of writing a note in his pad...

We have to go along with the ~ that things are getting better...

N-VAR

2.

If you do something under false ~s, you do it when people do not know the truth about you and your intentions.

I could not go on living with a man who had married me under false ~s...

PHRASE: usu under PHR

Collins COBUILD.      Толковый словарь английского языка для изучающих язык Коллинз COBUILD (международная база данных языков Бирмингемского университета) .