pretend to

pretend to (something)

To feign or claim to have some quality, skill, or characteristic. Jonathan pretends to the palate of a connoisseur, but really he's just pretentious. I like to write, but couldn't pretend to the kind of talent she has.
See also: pretend
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

pretend to something

to claim to have a skill or quality. I can hardly pretend to the artistry that Wally has, but I can play the piano a bit. I can't pretend to that level of skill.
See also: pretend
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • pretend to (something)
  • sell (one) a dummy
  • sell a dummy
  • sell someone a dummy
  • roll over and play dead
  • sham Abraham
  • sham Abram
  • get used to (someone or something)
  • flutter (one's) eyelashes
  • flutter your eyelashes
References in classic literature
"Sometimes the quarrel between two princes is to decide which of them shall dispossess a third of his dominions, where neither of them pretend to any right.
"What you have told me," said my master, "upon the subject of war, does indeed discover most admirably the effects of that reason you pretend to: however, it is happy that the shame is greater than the danger; and that nature has left you utterly incapable of doing much mischief.
You have had the good grace to fall in with my humour, and to pretend to eat and to drink when nothing was there.
They usually pretend to be flowers, because the court sits in the Fairies' Basin, and there are so many flowers there, and all along the Baby Walk, that a flower is the thing least likely to attract attention.
"I cannot pretend to offer a positive opinion until I know more of the particulars connected with this extraordinary business than I find communicated either in your letter or in your maid's.
Truth is, we're all afraid to hit the pause button, so we continue to do what we know best: we pretend, we pretend to know what we want, pretend to know what we're doing and even pretend to know where we're getting at.
Police are warning the public about a new scam to get money from drivers which has been observed in the wider Nicosia area where the fraudsters pretend to have been hit by cars.
'Please avoid scammers and fixers who pretend to be in a position to process Owwa benefits for OFWs,' Cacdac said.
The hunter may occasionally stop pretending he is a female and pretend to be a male.
London, July 2 ( ANI ): 1 in 3 men pretend to look more intelligent and cultured than they really are, a new study revealed.
He doesn't pretend to know the psyche of a whole region.
A source said: "It's mad how many people are trying to pretend to be her online.
Peter Dabbene (author); WE ARE WHAT WE PRETEND TO BE; Vanguard Press (Fiction: Literary) 19.99 ISBN: 9781593157432
My favorite imaginary game is playing pioneers--my siblings and friends dress up in costumes with aprons, dresses, and bonnets and pretend to churn butter, plow fields, sew, and garden ...
Some self-styled experts and feminists have denounced the Spanish upstart, declaring that it's inappropriate for young children to pretend to nurse a doll.