false

adjective

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\ ˈfȯls

falser; falsest

Definition of false

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : not genuine false documents false teeth

2a : intentionally untrue false testimony

b : adjusted or made so as to deceive false scales a trunk with a false bottom

c : intended or tending to mislead a false promise

3 : not true false concepts

4a : not faithful or loyal : treacherous a false friend

b : lacking naturalness or sincerity false sympathy

5a : not essential or permanent —used of parts of a structure that are temporary or supplemental

b : fitting over a main part to strengthen it, to protect it, or to disguise its appearance a false ceiling

6 : inaccurate in pitch a false note

7a : based on mistaken ideas false pride

b : inconsistent with the facts a false position a false sense of security

8 : threateningly sudden or deceptive don't make any false moves

false

adverb

Definition of false (Entry 2 of 2)

: in a false or faithless manner : treacherously his friends played him false

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Choose the Right Synonym for false

Adjective

faithless, false, disloyal, traitorous, treacherous, perfidious mean untrue to what should command one's fidelity or allegiance. faithless applies to any failure to keep a promise or pledge or any breach of allegiance or loyalty. faithless allies false stresses the fact of failing to be true in any manner ranging from fickleness to cold treachery. betrayed by false friends disloyal implies a lack of complete faithfulness to a friend, cause, leader, or country. disloyal to their country traitorous implies either actual treason or a serious betrayal of trust. traitorous acts punishable by death treacherous implies readiness to betray trust or confidence. a treacherous adviser perfidious adds to faithless the implication of an incapacity for fidelity or reliability. a perfidious double-crosser

Examples of false in a Sentence

Adjective Indicate whether each of the following statements is true or false. He registered at the hotel under a false name.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective According to YouTube's policies, users are not allowed to post content aiming to mislead voters about the time, place, means, or eligibility requirements for voting, or false claims that could materially discourage voting. — Coral Murphy, USA TODAY, "YouTube to remove misleading videos about the outcome of the U.S. presidential election," 10 Dec. 2020 YouTube is set to start taking down false claims that widespread fraud altered the 2020 election outcome — over a month following Election Day. — TheWeek, "YouTube to remove new videos falsely claiming widespread fraud changed the outcome of the election," 9 Dec. 2020 From Georgia to Pennsylvania to Michigan and beyond, death threats to election officials and ordinary election workers have escalated, egged on by Trump's false claims at rallies and on Twitter. — Star Tribune, "Trump is creating his own American Republic of Fear," 9 Dec. 2020 The embrace of Trump’s false claims by many Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers shows how the president’s baseless attacks on the integrity of the election have gained traction with his supporters. — Author: Amy Gardner, Josh Dawsey, Rachael Bade, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump asks Pennsylvania House speaker for help overturning election results," 8 Dec. 2020 Critics note that Byrne often exaggerates his importance, includes only details that support his theories, and has made false claims about his adversaries. — Sheelah Kolhatkar, The New Yorker, "A Tycoon’s Deep-State Conspiracy Dive," 7 Dec. 2020 Why India’s software startups are poised for global dominance The email security market is littered with false claims. — Mark Schneider, Fortune, "Nestlé CEO: Climate change laggards put the planet—and their businesses—at risk," 3 Dec. 2020 In court papers, Trump’s lawyers sought to enter hundreds of unsigned affidavits as evidence, even after conceding their online invitation had attracted false claims and spam, according to the legal news site Law & Crime. — USA Today, "For Trump supporters primed to disbelieve defeat, challenging the election was a civic duty," 3 Dec. 2020 With a coronavirus vaccine around the corner, Facebook will step up its efforts to remove false claims about vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts, the company said Thursday. — Washington Post, "Facebook steps up campaign to ban false information about coronavirus vaccines," 3 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb The 49ers’ chances to keep the game close fizzled late when a touchdown was overturned, and Nick Mullens false-started on a sneak at the goal line and then threw an interception. — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "49ers’ new home away from home proves to be anything but sweet," 7 Dec. 2020 The drive started with left tackle Charles Leno false-starting. — Star Tribune, "Even in Chicago, Vikings should outclass Bears' brutal offense," 10 Nov. 2020 Alabama coach Nick Saban said Saturday the school conducted 240 tests of its football players and none came positive after his potentially false-positive COVID-19 test Wednesday. — Mike Rodak | Mrodak@al.com, al, "Nick Saban: No player positive tests before Georgia game," 17 Oct. 2020 Meanwhile, forcing axioms, which deem the continuum hypothesis false by adding a new size of infinity, would also extend the frontiers of mathematics in other directions. — Quanta Magazine, "To Settle Infinity Dispute, a New Law of Logic," 26 Nov. 2013 Any assertion otherwise on the latter front rings false given that, as acting commissioner, Selig had to have known about the FBI’s Operation Equine, an early ’90s investigation into PED distribution that included McGwire and Canseco. — Jay Jaffe, SI.com, "Roger Clemens, Arguably the Greatest Pitcher of All-Time, Is Trending Toward Hall of Fame Induction," 13 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'false.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.