pretense

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.

Yet he did not muster even the pretense of evidence that they pose an “imminent threat.”

From Slate • Feb. 28, 2026

Five days earlier, at around 7 a.m., the couple had crossed the border into Kazakhstan in a hired Toyota Hiace van, under the pretense of taking a vacation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025

The question then becomes: Will fans still tune into college games when there’s no pretense the players are students?

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

Admittedly, much of social life consists of maintaining a thin pretense of normality.

From Salon • Sep. 1, 2025

After school, Twig invited me back to her house, which we figured we could get away with under the pretense of doing our frog lab reports.

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller