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
The fraud occurs when people use false identities to rent an apartment under false pretenses or for criminal purposes, owners and property managers say.
—
Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
Prosecutors say this is an example of defrauding under false pretenses.
—Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 3 Jan. 2024
Anderson, under false pretenses, allegedly catfished her as a 20-year-old.
—Hatshepsu Coutain-Julien, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2024
In recent convictions: A South Carolina sheriff and deputies arrested a man under false pretenses, stole from the county then falsified records to cover it up.
—Scott Pham, CBS News, 20 May 2024
And then there are operations like EDMC, which federal officials say pushed enrollees deeply into debt under false pretenses.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024
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
Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
Prosecutors say this is an example of defrauding under false pretenses.
—Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 3 Jan. 2024
Anderson, under false pretenses, allegedly catfished her as a 20-year-old.
—Hatshepsu Coutain-Julien, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2024
In recent convictions: A South Carolina sheriff and deputies arrested a man under false pretenses, stole from the county then falsified records to cover it up.
—Scott Pham, CBS News, 20 May 2024
And then there are operations like EDMC, which federal officials say pushed enrollees deeply into debt under false pretenses.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024
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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'under false pretenses.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Under false pretenses.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/under%20false%20pretenses. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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