pretext
noun
pre·text
ˈprē-ˌtekst 
: a purpose or motive alleged or an appearance assumed in order to cloak the real intention or state of affairs
Examples of pretext in a Sentence
She went back to her friend's house on the pretext that she had forgotten her purse.
Recent Examples on the Web
And those convicted under other articles of the military justice code, which may have been used as a pretext to punish or force out LGBTQ troops, would need to request clemency through the normal Department of Justice pardon process.
—
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 27 June 2024
Without editorializing, Wilson never lets the reader forget that all of this carnage has a morally dubious pretext.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024
According to this myth, during the Cold War, American capitalist elites wanted to run the world and found innumerable military pretexts to exert their wishes.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 25 Jan. 2024
Farmers throughout the region worry that their way of life may be on the verge of extinction — as settlers and Israeli forces use the war as a pretext to shut them down.
—Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 3 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pretext 
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 27 June 2024
Without editorializing, Wilson never lets the reader forget that all of this carnage has a morally dubious pretext.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024
According to this myth, during the Cold War, American capitalist elites wanted to run the world and found innumerable military pretexts to exert their wishes.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 25 Jan. 2024
Farmers throughout the region worry that their way of life may be on the verge of extinction — as settlers and Israeli forces use the war as a pretext to shut them down.
—Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 3 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pretext
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pretext.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pretext
Cite this Entry
“Pretext.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretext. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pretext
noun
pre·text
ˈprē-ˌtekst
: a reason put forward in order to hide the real reason
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