pretense

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++pre·tense /prɪˈtens $ ˈpriːtens/ noun [singular, uncountable]  XXthe American spelling of pretence pretence的美式拼法

Examples from the Corpus

pretense• The whistle cuts through all fantasy and pretense.• John then-and this is the important point-was able to deliver on his early pretense and Big Promise potential.• But it will strip away a little pretense and artifice, and maybe even put back a little passion.• Eventually he would turn away, either because he accepted my pretense or because he was not sure it was one.• The hypocrisy is the pretense that the players are scholars whose colleges are competing for the glory of it all.• Now and then, the real priorities and the concealed agenda do break through the pretense of compassion.• She knew a couple of friends elsewhere who lived together under the pretense of sharing an apartment or duplex.• She was an adventuress, unabashedly ambitious, totally without pretense, searching for fame.Origin pretense (1300-1400) Old French pretensse, from Latin praetendere; → PRETEND1

pre·tense nounChineseSyllable  

Corpus spelling pretence American the of

pretense

I

pre‧tence British English, pretense American English /prɪˈtens $ ˈpriːtens/ noun [singular, uncountable]
1. a way of behaving which is intended to make people believe something that is not true
    pretence that
    the pretence that the old system could be made to work
    pretence of/at (being/doing) something
    a pretence at seriousness
    Tollitt made no pretense of being surprised.
    How long are you going to keep up the pretence of being ill?
    abandon/give up/drop a pretence
    Abandoning any pretense at politeness, they ran for the door.
    under the pretence of (doing) something
    John waited for her under the pretence of tying his shoelaces.
    It was all an elaborate pretence.
2. under/on false pretences without telling the truth about yourself or your intentions:
    You brought me here under false pretences!
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ adjectives
   ▪ an elaborate pretence (=one that is carefully planned and done, but obviously not true or real ) He made an elaborate pretence of yawning and said he was going to bed.
■ verbs
   ▪ make a pretence Steve made a vague pretence at being interested.
   ▪ keep up/maintain a pretence (=keep pretending that you are doing something or that something is true) She kept up the pretence that her husband had died in order to claim the insurance money.
   ▪ abandon/give up/drop a pretence (=stop pretending that you are doing something or that something is true) Maria had abandoned any pretence of having faith of any kind long ago.
   ▪ make no pretence (=not pretend to do or have something) I made no pretence of great musical knowledge.

II

pre‧tense /prɪˈtens $ ˈpriːtens/ noun [singular, uncountable]the American spelling of pretence

pre·tenseBrE /prɪˈtens/ 🔊NAmE /ˈpriːtens/ 🔊 (NAmE) = pretence