find a pretext

Frequency: 7.00.5 per million words

to look for and identify a reason to do something

pretextVERB + pretext

Categories:

find

Examples (10)

  • He tried to find a pretext to leave the boring meeting.
  • She always manages to find a pretext to avoid doing chores.
  • The government was accused of trying to find a pretext for war.
  • They couldn't find a valid pretext for their absence.
  • If you want to go, you'll find a pretext.
  • He had to find a pretext to speak to her again.
  • The company was eager to find a pretext to fire him.
  • Don't find a pretext for your laziness; just get to work.
  • The detective tried to find a pretext to search the suspect's house.
  • We need to find a good pretext to cancel the event.