false pretense

fɔːls prɪˈtɛns

Definition of false pretense - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

deception

representation of untrue facts to deceive others

He gained her trust under false pretense.

deception

fraud

trickery

legal

TECH.

criminal offense of obtaining property by deception

TECH.

She was charged with false pretense for the fraud.

deception

fraud

trickery

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Expressions with false

false alarm

warning signal given by mistake

The fire drill turned out to be a false alarm.

false economy

attempt to save money that leads to more costs

Buying cheap tires was a false economy.

false friend

person pretending to be a friend but not trustworthy

He realized she was a false friend after the betrayal.

false front

facade giving deceptive appearance

The building had a false front to make it look larger.

someone's words rang false

exp.

seem insincere or lacking genuine feeling

His apology sounded polished, but his words rang false to everyone.

strike a false note

to create an impression that is not sincere

His apology struck a false note with the audience.

Expressions with pretense

make a pretense of

act as if something is true when it is not

He made a pretense of caring about the results.

make no pretense

act honestly without trying to hide the truth

He makes no pretense about his lack of experience.

under the pretense of doing

adv.

acting with a false reason to hide true intent

He visited her under the pretense of doing a welfare check.

Terms with false pretense included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.

show

deception

pretense or false display

false front

deception

pretense or false display

sail under false colors

deception

use a false identity or pretense

sham Abraham

deception

false representation or pretense

Examples of false pretense in a sentence

She borrowed money on false pretense.
He was arrested for obtaining money under false pretense.

View all translations of false pretense

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.

French:faux prétexte, faux-semblant, ...
German:falscher Vorwand, Betrug, ...
Italian:falsa pretesa, ...
Spanish:falsos pretextos, falsa pretensión, ...
Portuguese:falsos pretextos, falsas pretensões, ...
Chinese:虚假幌子, 诈骗, ...
Japanese:虚偽の口実, 偽りの口実, ...
Arabic:إِدِّعاء كاذِب, احتيال, ...
Hebrew:תּוֹאֲנָה כּוֹזֶבֶת, קַבָּלַת דָּבָר בְּמִרְמָה, ...
Russian:ложный предлог, мошенничество, ...
Ukrainian:фальшивий привід, шахрайство, ...
Hindi:झूठा बहाना, धोखाधड़ी, ...
Bengali:ভান, মিথ্যা ছলনা, ...
Catalan:fals pretext, falsos pretextos, ...
Czech:falešná záminka, podvod, ...
Danish:falsk påskud, bedrageri, ...
Dutch:valse voorwendselen, ...
Greek:ψευδής πρόφαση, ψευδής προσποίηση, ...
Hungarian:hamis ürügy, csalás, ...
Khmer:លេសបោកប្រាស់, បទល្មើសឆបោកយកទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិ, ...
Korean:거짓된 구실, 사기죄, ...
Persian:ادعای کاذب, فریبکاری, ...
Polish:fałszywy pretekst, wyłudzenie, ...
Portuguese (BR):falsos pretextos, falsa pretensão, ...
Romanian:pretext fals, înșelăciune, ...
Swedish:falska förespeglingar, oredligt förfarande, ...
Thai:ข้ออ้าง, การหลอกลวง, ...
Turkish:yanıltıcı davranış, ...
Vietnamese:sự viện cớ gian dối, lừa đảo, ...

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Definition of false pretense - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

Expressions with false

Expressions with pretense

Terms related to false pretense

Terms with false pretense included in their meaning

Examples of false pretense in a sentence

View all translations of false pretense

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery