as in frauds
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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Recent Examples of pretenders
The contenders, pretenders and everybody in between.
—
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjustments will be made, and by November and December, there will be a much clearer picture of who the contenders and pretenders are.
—Mark Lasota, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Crazy as this sport is, all four teams might be pretenders.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
But the Bolts don't have enough pieces to go from pretenders to contenders.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Aug. 2025
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjustments will be made, and by November and December, there will be a much clearer picture of who the contenders and pretenders are.
—Mark Lasota, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Crazy as this sport is, all four teams might be pretenders.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
But the Bolts don't have enough pieces to go from pretenders to contenders.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretenders
Noun
-
This fan-favorite promotion returns after nearly 10 years away, having been shelved following the exposure of one of the biggest frauds in corporate marketing history.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Certain frauds included requests to share bank details or to pay upfront costs associated with onboarding, such as certification or background check fees.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Patriots used motion to set up fakes and trick the Panthers defense, and for the most part, the illusions paid off.—
Mike Kaye
September 28,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Sep. 2025
-
The program, which officially launched in May, brings together brands, payment processors and e-commerce platforms like Amazon, eBay and Alibaba to develop best practices and work to get fakes off of online marketplaces.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,Paige Tortorelli,
CNBC,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
An entry-level sheet set from the brand will run you a minimum of $500 with the priciest shams ringing in at a cool $5,000.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
26 Sep. 2025
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It’s woven from 100 percent organic cotton, includes a quilt and matching shams, and comes in both dark gray and olive green.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
By the finale, the galactic chessboard is crowded with players—emperors, rebels, prophets, impostors—but as Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) warned in the very first episode, the center cannot hold.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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That’s until their cover in California Schemin’ as rapping imposters was blown and the emotional strain of denying their Scottishness and their fractured friendship revealed itself.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretenders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretenders. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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