misrepresent

verb

mis·​rep·​re·​sent (ˌ)mis-ˌre-pri-ˈzent 

misrepresented; misrepresenting; misrepresents

transitive verb

1

: to give a false or misleading representation of usually with an intent to deceive or be unfair

misrepresented the facts

2

: to serve badly or improperly as a representative of

misrepresentation

(ˌ)mis-ˌre-pri-ˌzen-ˈtā-shən 

-zən-

noun

misrepresentative

(ˌ)mis-ˌre-pri-ˈzen-tə-tiv 

adjective

Synonyms

• bend
• color
• cook
• distort
• falsify
• fudge
• garble
• misinterpret
• misrelate
• misstate
• pervert
• slant
• twist
• warp

Examples of misrepresent in a Sentence

The company is accused of misrepresenting its earnings.

The movie deliberately misrepresents the facts about her life.

Recent Examples on the Web

Then, Gonder submitted a second fraudulent PPP loan application on behalf of The Impact Center of Broward County Inc., misrepresenting payroll, employee and tax records. —Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 5 June 2024

The aspiring lifestyle influencer and yoga aficionado has been accused of misrepresenting her cultural identity. —Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2024

Trump is accused of misrepresenting Cohen’s reimbursements as legal expenses to hide that they were tied to a hush money payment. —Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 30 May 2024

Anyone who fraudulently misrepresents a service animal can be guilty of a misdemeanor. —Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 18 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

misrepresent

verb

mis·​rep·​re·​sent (ˌ)mis-ˌrep-ri-ˈzent 

: to give a false or misleading idea of

misrepresentation

(ˌ)mis-ˌrep-ri-ˌzen-ˈtā-shən 

noun

Legal Definition

misrepresent

transitive verb

mis·​rep·​re·​sent mis-ˌre-pri-ˈzent 

: to make a misrepresentation about

intransitive verb

: to make a misrepresentation

misrepresentative

-ˌre-pri-ˈzen-tə-tiv 

adjective

misrepresenter noun