false pretense

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.

What ends up happening is a lot of people end up under a false pretense that we’re more expensive, and we see this in the data.

From Slate • Oct. 6, 2023

Eight crimes listed in the 1890 version of the provision - bribery, theft, arson, obtaining money or goods under false pretense, perjury, forgery, embezzlement and bigamy - remain as disqualifying offenses today.

From Reuters • Jun. 30, 2023

Blacknell said the prosecution’s theory was that Yu had committed theft by embezzlement or false pretense by converting property of the registrar’s office for his own use, and defrauded the county by violating its contract.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2022

Twitter argues that Musk signed a contract to buy the company, and is using spam accounts as a false pretense to worm his way out of the deal.

From The Verge • Aug. 3, 2022

“Well, all right, Tea Cake, Ah wants tuh go wid you real bad, but,—oh, Tea Cake, don’t make no false pretense wid me!”

From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston