as in reasons
a false ground that you give to hide why you are really doing something
The leaders used a minor clash at the border as a pretext for war.
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Recent Examples of pretexts
Americans have a long history of being hurried into war on false pretexts.
—
Adam Kirsch, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
Hamas says that Israel is creating pretexts to avoid honoring the agreement.
—Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2025
Those killed under torture, or by starvation, or medical neglect, on the other hand, were transported first to military hospitals where pretexts were invented for the deaths.
—Robin Yassin-Kassab, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Adam Kirsch, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
Hamas says that Israel is creating pretexts to avoid honoring the agreement.
—Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2025
Those killed under torture, or by starvation, or medical neglect, on the other hand, were transported first to military hospitals where pretexts were invented for the deaths.
—Robin Yassin-Kassab, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretexts
Noun
-
There are many reasons to be concerned about this particular Ebola outbreak.—
Jesse Pines,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Numerous Democratic officeholders raised questions about whether Colbert was axed for political reasons.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
No excuses, no justifications, a sincere apology.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
-
No excuses, no justifications, a sincere apology.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
According to Placer Superior Court filings, one false pretenses count and the personal identifying information charge stemmed from a June 21, 2025, incident.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
20 May 2026
-
Officials allege the group sold the oil under false pretenses and used the profits to sustain and expand the original food fraud scheme.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Louderback, though, never made excuses or referred to others who might have prevented it from happening.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2026
-
His excuses ranged from being too cold, to not having his phone or watch on him, to being a chill person who doesn’t like to show up early to the tee.—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretexts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretexts. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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