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

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He was found guilty of two counts of defrauding a hotel and three counts of obtaining a signature under false pretenses, court records show. Kenny Jacoby, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024 Swatting entails generating an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretenses. Jill Colvin, Chicago Tribune, 27 Nov. 2024 Anderson’s capture comes amid reports Russia is recruiting hundreds of Yemeni men to fight in its war in Ukraine by luring them to Russia under false pretenses in coordination with the Houthi terrorist network, as reported by the Financial Times. Greg Wehner, Fox News, 26 Nov. 2024 All told, authorities on Wednesday accused the executives and conspirators of raising more than $2 billion in loans and bond offerings under false pretenses. Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for under false pretenses 

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Cite this Entry

“Under false pretenses.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/under%20false%20pretenses. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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