Definition of Pretence

Noun: pretence 'pree,ten(t)s or pri'ten(t)s [N. Amer], pri'ten(t)s [Brit]
Usage: Brit, Cdn (US: pretense)

The act of giving a false appearance
"his conformity was only pretence";
- pretense [N. Amer], pretending, simulation, feigning
Pretending with intention to deceive
- pretense [N. Amer], feigning, dissembling
Imaginative intellectual play
- pretense [N. Amer], make-believe
A false or unsupportable quality
- pretension, pretense [N. Amer]
An artful or simulated semblance
"under the pretence of friendship he betrayed them";
- guise, pretense [N. Amer], pretext