pre·text 
/ˈpri:ˌtɛkst/ noun
plural pre·texts /ˈpri:ˌtɛkst/ noun [count] : a reason that you give to hide your real reason for doing something : pretense
▪ The leaders used a minor clash at the border as a pretext for war. [=as a reason/excuse for starting a war] ▪ She always managed to visit him on one pretext or another. [=she found various reasons to visit him] ▪ She went back to her friend's house on/under the pretext that she had forgotten her purse.
▪ The leaders used a minor clash at the border as a pretext for war. [=as a reason/excuse for starting a war] ▪ She always managed to visit him on one pretext or another. [=she found various reasons to visit him] ▪ She went back to her friend's house on/under the pretext that she had forgotten her purse.
