You searched for: “pretence
pretence (s) (noun), pretences (pl)
1. A false or desirous claim: When asked specifically what his intentions were, he quickly answered that he had no pretence in wanting to discredit his co-worker.
2. The act of trying to make something appear true when it is actually not the case: At the dinner party, Jim tried to avoid the woman sitting next to him with the pretence of having to make a phone call, although he didn't really want to at all!
This entry is located in the following unit: pre-, prae- (page 17)