How to Use under/on the pretense of in a Sentence

under/on the pretense of

idiom

• Police said both victims were lured to the addresses at which they were killed on the pretense of selling marijuana.
  — Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 11 July 2023
• With four of their servants, they were lined up under the pretense of taking a photograph to quiet rumors that the family had escaped.
  — Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2023
• Debt is a power relationship built on the pretense of equality.
  — Astra Taylor, The New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2020
• The government anticipates that fraudsters may call borrowers under the pretense of helping with the process for a fee.
  — Quartz, 22 Oct. 2022
• The report alleges that Weinberg would lure women to his home under the pretense of a photoshoot before assaulting them.
  — Samuel Braslow, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Aug. 2022
• In the footage, which was published on Vimeo, on Friday evening, in four different installments, officers descend on Nichols, under the pretense of a traffic stop.
  — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2023
• Goudy was accused of helping lure the man into an ambush under the pretense of buying drugs, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported at the time.
  — oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2022
• Though Malukas’s signing was announced under the pretense of a multi-year deal last fall, the rookie confirmed that not everything is buttoned up with two races left in his rookie season.
  — Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Aug. 2022
• Defending an art form to those who seem determined to disrupt it for profit and under the pretense of innovation feels futile to some degree, so this piece isn’t for them.
  — Amanda McLoughlin, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2022
• Not only did Trudeau unilaterally freeze more than 200 bank accounts under the pretense of fighting the protests; his government froze the bank accounts of those who donated to the convoy.
  — Nate Hochman, National Review, 26 Feb. 2022
• After Germany invaded Poland, the Red Army moved into the eastern portion of the country under the pretense of stabilizing the failing nation.
  — Jacob Lassin, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2022
• As if spending 25 years in prison wasn't punishment enough, Manfredi's boss exiles him to Tulsa, Oklahoma, under the pretense of a new assignment.
  — Irene Richardson, Country Living, 13 Nov. 2022
• Lured to the Washington, D.C., area on the pretense of a training junket, he was arrested and charged with federal drug crimes before agreeing to cooperate, officials said.
  — Tim Golden, ProPublica, 31 Jan. 2024
• According to the criminal complaint, Hagerman lured the woman to a building on the Scott County Fairgrounds on a festival weekend under the pretense of finding a good location for photos.
  — Erin Adler, Star Tribune, 15 Oct. 2020
• In 2017, Seydoux gave a personal account of a time when Harvey Weinstein, under the pretense of considering her for a role, forcefully attempted to kiss her in a hotel room.
  — Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 May 2022
• But in the 1970s, tensions rose when London police repeatedly raided Mangrove under the pretense of drug searches, according to Bustle.
  — Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, 25 Apr. 2021
• Nasyrova went to the home of the victim, an eyelash technician, under the pretense of needing immediate help, prosecutors said during the trial.
  — Tim Perone, NBC News, 9 Feb. 2023
• During that time, the statement said, Waithe allegedly often asked to use female athletes’ cellphones under the pretense of filming their form at practice and competitions.
  — BostonGlobe.com, 7 Apr. 2021
• We’re stuck with a story that feels shapeless, almost improvisatory, as if taking on social trends under the pretense of seeking authenticity.
  — Armond White, National Review, 9 Aug. 2023
• According to the government agency, the victims were lured under the pretense of love and then intimidated while allegedly being coerced to perform pornographic acts which would be used to financially benefit the alleged crime group.
  — Adam Sabes, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2023
• Some energy and mining companies have divested coal assets under the pretense of cutting carbon emissions or appeasing shareholders, only to sell them on to owners happy to run them indefinitely.
  — Ben Dummett, WSJ, 18 Dec. 2021
• This stubbornness, masquerading under the pretense of civic duty, stands in stark, almost jarring contrast to the forward-thinking pragmatism that is indispensably needed for a meaningful and enduring urban transformation.
  — Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 19 Jan. 2024
• The district attorney’s office alleged that Thompson committed the assaults under the pretense of performing medically necessary exams.
  — David Chiu, Peoplemag, 27 Sep. 2023
• Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation against the neighboring country Wednesday under the pretense of demilitarizing the nation.
  — Amy Nakamura, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2022
• Half are physicians in training, half are pursuing surgical specialties, and most have been forced out of their positions under the pretense of deficiencies in professionalism, competency, and/or productivity.
  — Pringl Miller, STAT, 11 Sep. 2022
• The former President, who famously used his office’s authority to unilaterally slap import duties on foreign steel under the pretense of national security, is notoriously tough on China.
  — Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2024

Last Updated: 17 Dec 2024