false pretenses
Americanplural noun
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a deliberate misrepresentation of facts, as to obtain title to money or property.
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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.
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
Analysts say those ships often transfer their oil to other ships, that then sell the crude oil under false pretenses.
From Washington Times • Jul. 12, 2023
Motif said in one of the filings that Impossible's use of "false pretenses" to gain information was "alarming" and "unethical."
From Reuters • May 25, 2023
He might have despised himself, for he had certainly taken her under false pretenses.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Definitions 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.
