under false pretenses

idiom

: by saying something that is not true, by pretending something, etc.

A reporter obtained documents from the company under false pretenses.

Examples of under false pretenses in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The fraud occurs when people use false identities to rent an apartment under false pretenses or for criminal purposes, owners and property managers say. —

Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024 Prosecutors say this is an example of defrauding under false pretenses. —

Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 3 Jan. 2024 Anderson, under false pretenses, allegedly catfished her as a 20-year-old. —

Hatshepsu Coutain-Julien, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2024 In recent convictions: A South Carolina sheriff and deputies arrested a man under false pretenses, stole from the county then falsified records to cover it up. —

Scott Pham, CBS News, 20 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for under false pretenses

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'under false pretenses.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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“Under false pretenses.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/under%20false%20pretenses. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.

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