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

Jail on June 4 to serve a 90-day jail sentence after having pled guilty last month to obtaining money under false pretenses, a felony. —Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024

Hawkes borrowed his father’s phone under false pretenses to send the photos, the AP reported, and the 15-year-old girl began crying upon receiving the unsolicited images. —Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024

Collection Of Personal Information Job requisitions created under false pretenses may be geared toward collecting candidates' personal information. —Siddharth Sharma, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024

Federal law forbids entering the country under false pretenses, but giving birth in another country is not a crime. —Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2024

Momeni's attorneys blasted the paper for paying for the photos – which were allegedly taken under false pretenses by a photographer who was supposed to be taking pictures of the solitary confinement area. —Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 4 Dec. 2023

As the two sparred over immigration and border management, Newsom accused DeSantis of luring migrants under false pretenses by offering jobs and housing -- an accusation stemming from DeSantis' efforts to organize flights for migrants to Martha's Vineyard. —Will McDuffie, ABC News, 30 Nov. 2023

Charging documents filed in August alleged Miele fraudulently solicited campaign funds under false pretenses for Santos' campaign. —Robert Legare, CBS News, 14 Nov. 2023

The notion that this war, this aggression by Russia, was being pursued under false pretenses. —ABC News, 25 June 2023