as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
it turns out that the guy who claimed to work for a modeling agency was just a pretender
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretender
John Elway was considered a postseason pretender when his Denver Broncos were annihilated in three Super Bowls over a four-year stretch, then finished his career by snagging the franchise’s first two championship rings.
—
Tim Graham, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
Every decision carries weight, and in a league where the line between contender and pretender is razor-thin, there’s little room for error.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2025
The only saving grace for City is that there is no clear pretender to take its place as the top dog in English soccer.
—Joe Prince-Wright, Nbc Sports, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024
Ball could be that piece to turn the Rockets from pretenders to contenders.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pretender
Tim Graham, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
Every decision carries weight, and in a league where the line between contender and pretender is razor-thin, there’s little room for error.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2025
The only saving grace for City is that there is no clear pretender to take its place as the top dog in English soccer.
—Joe Prince-Wright, Nbc Sports, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024
Ball could be that piece to turn the Rockets from pretenders to contenders.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pretender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretender
Noun
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But this would come as the result of a cutback in government spending that is currently categorized by Trump Administration officials as either waste, fraud, or non-essential in nature.—
Sal Gilbertie,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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Holmes was convicted on four counts of fraud after lying to Theranos investors about her blood testing technology's reliability and was later sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2022.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This is a cruder example of how artificial intelligence is being used to create deep fakes.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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As a bonus, this reusable fake is a fun prop to keep around for make-believe health care provider visits.—
Kimberly Stoney,
Parents,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The cotton quilt is lightweight enough for year-round use and includes two matching shams to complete the look.—
Megan Schaltegger,
People.com,
21 Mar. 2025
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The decision to annul November’s election had little precedent and handed a propaganda victory to Moscow, which has long dismissed Western democracy as a sham in which elites fix the results to suppress unorthodox views and guarantee an outcome favorable to the liberal establishment.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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That specific kind of grift is known as an impostor scam.—
Alana Semuels,
TIME,
18 Sep. 2024
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At minimum, the Richards bit — which, admittedly, some liked more than others — rolls out a red carpet for Leon to steal the show as a Jewish-doctor impostor trying to snap Richards into it after his Groats diagnosis.—
Larry Fitzmaurice,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2024
Noun
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No, the danger is what those charlatans exploit, namely our vulnerability to the narrative of natural healing, the irresistible allure of conquering cancer with a simple, intuitive approach that lies entirely within our power, no chemo or surgery required.—
Alan Levinovitz,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Feb. 2025
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There was too much history for anyone to dismantle, let alone a charlatan like Hitler.—
Luke Berryman,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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With tariffs on pharmaceuticals, the mountebank of Mar-A-Lago wants to punish a small democracy of 5.3 million people that for the past 60 years has worked its way into the top table of drug research and production: Ireland.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2025
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Gould observed that Jerry Falwell had taken up the mountebank’s mission of William Jennings Bryan.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
26 July 2024
Noun
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Famous athlete revealed as Fuzzy Peas on Masked Singer while Ken Jeong shocks with Lord Farquaad look on wild Shrek Night With a final dramatic flourish of his cape and a quack, Lucky Duck departed, and it was revealed that Coral would be joining Paparazzo in the final six.—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
27 Feb. 2025
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Milla — a young woman who feels disillusioned by doctors that treat her like a recalcitrant child, directing even conversations about her treatment to her father instead of her — finds false security in quacks selling enemas and juice cleanses.—
Angie Han,
The Hollywood Reporter,
5 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretender. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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