as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
it turns out that the guy who claimed to work for a modeling agency was just a pretender
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretender
Carter noted that City Hall office workers will return to their cubicles three days per week as of April 1.
Related Articles
Contenders or pretenders?
—
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2025
Every decision carries weight, and in a league where the line between contender and pretender is razor-thin, there’s little room for error.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2025
The only saving grace for City is that there is no clear pretender to take its place as the top dog in English soccer.
—Joe Prince-Wright, Nbc Sports, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024
Ball could be that piece to turn the Rockets from pretenders to contenders.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pretender
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2025
Every decision carries weight, and in a league where the line between contender and pretender is razor-thin, there’s little room for error.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2025
The only saving grace for City is that there is no clear pretender to take its place as the top dog in English soccer.
—Joe Prince-Wright, Nbc Sports, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024
Ball could be that piece to turn the Rockets from pretenders to contenders.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pretender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretender
Noun
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The man who brought up the accusation of welfare fraud, who admitted to working for Alite's former boss John Gotti Jr., left the room, leaving a packet of handouts on a seat on his way out.—
Olivia Liu,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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Trump wants Chris Krebs, former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, to be investigated for declaring, after careful study of the 2020 election, that there was no election fraud.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Fran Drescher also spoke out in favor of the bill, explaining how deep fakes have affected her image.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
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What makes a painting by a master so much better than a really good fake?—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The set features an all-over stitched diamond pattern with neatly finished edges, curved corners, and matching shams for a cohesive look.—
Miles Walls,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Apr. 2025
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Your order wouldn’t be complete without matching shams.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Legitimate candidates face tougher hurdles while impostors glide through.—
Jack Kelly,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
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The success of the impostor scam illuminates another reason criminals are able to bilk Americans today.—
Alana Semuels,
TIME,
18 Sep. 2024
Noun
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No, the danger is what those charlatans exploit, namely our vulnerability to the narrative of natural healing, the irresistible allure of conquering cancer with a simple, intuitive approach that lies entirely within our power, no chemo or surgery required.—
Alan Levinovitz,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Feb. 2025
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Death at the hands of charlatans is not an inspiring storyline, which means publishers and film studios studiously avoid it.—
Alan Levinovitz,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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With tariffs on pharmaceuticals, the mountebank of Mar-A-Lago wants to punish a small democracy of 5.3 million people that for the past 60 years has worked its way into the top table of drug research and production: Ireland.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2025
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Gould observed that Jerry Falwell had taken up the mountebank’s mission of William Jennings Bryan.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
26 July 2024
Noun
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Famous athlete revealed as Fuzzy Peas on Masked Singer while Ken Jeong shocks with Lord Farquaad look on wild Shrek Night With a final dramatic flourish of his cape and a quack, Lucky Duck departed, and it was revealed that Coral would be joining Paparazzo in the final six.—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
27 Feb. 2025
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Milla — a young woman who feels disillusioned by doctors that treat her like a recalcitrant child, directing even conversations about her treatment to her father instead of her — finds false security in quacks selling enemas and juice cleanses.—
Angie Han,
The Hollywood Reporter,
5 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretender. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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