false pretenses
Americanplural noun
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a deliberate misrepresentation of facts, as to obtain title to money or property.
-
the use of such misrepresentation.
Etymology
Origin of false pretenses
First recorded in 1750–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
States have resorted to Rube Goldberg-like schemes to obtain drugs from abroad, sometimes under false pretenses, or have used drugs that are expired or improperly stored.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
After learning that his client couldn’t locate her husband, Rodriguez admitted to obtaining a warrant in July 2022 under false pretenses in order to find him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
But those relationships were based on false pretenses.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2023
In 2018, Daibes was charged by federal prosecutors in Newark with obtaining loans under false pretenses from a bank that he owned.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 22, 2023
“I suppose we all come under false pretenses one way or another, don’t we? It was best not to tell me. I probably wouldn’t have let you in.”
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
