pretext
noun
pre·text
ˈprē-ˌtekst 
: a purpose or motive alleged or an appearance assumed in order to cloak the real intention or state of affairs
Examples of pretext in a Sentence
She went back to her friend's house on the pretext that she had forgotten her purse.
Recent Examples on the Web
Few Indian movies have so gently zeroed in on the way mental health conditions are used as a pretext to strip people of their humanity, even though the camera rarely probes Sundar enough to rebuild his personhood from the inside-out, or dramatize whatever haunts his waking moments.
—
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 16 Feb. 2025
They could soon be joined by tens of thousands of Syrians forcibly deported by neighboring countries that may use Assad’s departure as a pretext to expel them.
—Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
On the pretext of one final, multi-million-pound art heist, Bert attempts to lure Sam out of retirement, but at what cost?
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2025
But TikTok argued that lawmakers disliked TikTok and its users’ speech and merely found a pretext for punishing it.
—Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretext
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Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 16 Feb. 2025
They could soon be joined by tens of thousands of Syrians forcibly deported by neighboring countries that may use Assad’s departure as a pretext to expel them.
—Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
On the pretext of one final, multi-million-pound art heist, Bert attempts to lure Sam out of retirement, but at what cost?
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2025
But TikTok argued that lawmakers disliked TikTok and its users’ speech and merely found a pretext for punishing it.
—Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pretext
Cite this Entry
“Pretext.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretext. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
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pretext
noun
pre·text
ˈprē-ˌtekst
: a reason put forward in order to hide the real reason
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