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Abstract Recently laterally pre-stretched pure shear deformation is considered as the most compatible and easier way of achieving higher actuation performances of dielectric elastomer actuator due to improvement of its dielectric strength and pull-in stability. However, an accurate experimental investigation and modelling criteria of dielectric elastomer under various lateral pre-stretches up to failure have still not been reported in details. In the present work, different pre-stretch levels are incorporated in commonly used material, VHB 4910 under pure shear loading at sufficiently slow strain rate to obtain stress-stretch curves up to failure. It has been also established that Ogden model parameters obtained by fitting pure shear test data are more accurate for pre-stretched pure shear modelling than those obtained from commonly used uniaxial pull test. Highlights • Laterally pre-stretched pure shear experiments are performed till failure. • Failure stretch keeps on decreasing with increasing lateral pre-stretch. • Reduction of stiffness in the transverse direction is obtained due to lateral pre-stretching. • Ogden model fitting parameters are obtained from pure shear experimental data. • Model using parameters from pure shear data provides better accuracy compared to that obtained from uniaxial data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]