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 activists trying to take down Tesla Illustration by Anuj Shrestha The Makeup Artist Donald Trump Deported Under the Alien Enemies Act The President has invoked the law to send Venezuelans to prison in El Salvador without due process—and, in many cases, under false pretenses. —Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2025

Not only do language barriers complicate your talking with her parents, but the deception has already begun — this girl has been regularly visiting your home under false pretenses. —Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Instead, Taxpayer 4 voluntarily transferred the funds under false pretenses. —Matthew Roberts, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025

The videos were obtained under false pretenses by an individual who posed as a concerned parent and additional individuals who posed as family friends of the employee pictured. —Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 30 Jan. 2025

Rhymes for under false pretenses

• albigenses
• consequences
• inferences
• biosciences
• commences
• condenses
• defences
• defenses
• dispenses
• expenses
• offences
• offenses