false

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adjective \ ˈfȯls \

Definition of false

falser; falsest

1 :not genuine

false documents

false teeth

2 a :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

4 a :not faithful or loyal :treacherous

a false friend

b :lacking naturalness or sincerity

false sympathy

5 a :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

7 a :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

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falsely

adverb

—

falseness

noun

See false defined for English-language learners

See false defined for kids

Examples of false in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of false from the Web

The suit alleges that the report cast the Herrons in a false light that would be highly offensive to a reasonable person.

— tony rizzo, kansascity, "Kansas City TV station sued over report about women tricked into on-camera sex," 29 Aug. 2017
But Meade Circuit Judge Bruce Butler wrote in a 24-page opinion last July that DNA testing showed that testimony was false and there was no credible evidence to support that Satanic ritual claim.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky Supreme Court upholds ruling vacating conviction of men in 1992's 'Satanic' murder," 24 Aug. 2017
The letter also accused the Boy Scouts of making false claims about the Girl Scouts at meetings.

— megan friedman, Good Housekeeping, "The Girl Scouts Are Accusing the Boy Scouts of Secretly Trying to Recruit Girls," 23 Aug. 2017
Mueller sued Swift two years later for $3 million after getting fired from his job, claiming her allegations were false and had led to his termination from Denver's KYGO-FM radio station.

— melissa minton, Glamour, "Hillary Clinton Just Quietly Showed Her Support for Taylor Swift on Social Media," 16 Aug. 2017
There's too much false fitness information flying around.

— alex pollack, Bon Appetit, "Meet the Equinox Trainer Who Made Us Love the Gym," 14 Aug. 2017
There’s a common TB skin test, but the San Antonio health department says the skin test takes 48 to 72 hours to produce a result and is susceptible to false positives.

— wendy rigby, Kaiser Health News, "South Texas Fights Tuberculosis One Blood Test At A Time," 8 Aug. 2017
The large carbon polluters have spent between one [billion and] two billion dollars putting out pseudoscience and creating false doubts.

— annie sneed, Scientific American, "Al Gore Says Climate's Best Hope Lies in Cities and Solar Power," 3 Aug. 2017
The One-Day Pardon In 2001 and 2002, New York real estate developer Isaac Toussie pleaded guilty to mail fraud and using false documents to receive mortgages from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "A Brief History of 10 Essential Presidential Pardons," 2 Aug. 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.

Origin and Etymology of false

Middle English fals, faus, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin falsus, from past participle of fallere to deceive

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 12th century

See Words from the same year

false Synonyms

Synonyms

erroneous, inaccurate, incorrect, inexact, invalid, off, unsound, untrue, untruthful, wrong, off base

Synonym Discussion of false

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

false

adverb

Definition of false

:in a false or faithless manner :treacherously

his friends played him false

Origin and Etymology of false

see ¹false

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

FALSE Defined for English Language Learners

false

play

adjective

Definition of false for English Language Learners

: not real or genuine
: not true or accurate; especially : deliberately untrue : done or said to fool or deceive someone
: based on mistaken ideas

FALSE Defined for Kids

false

play

adjective \ ˈfȯls \

Definition of false for Students

falser; falsest

1 :not true, genuine, or honest

false testimony

false documents

false teeth

2 :not faithful or loyal

false friends

3 :not based on facts or sound judgment

a false feeling of security

4 :careless 2

One false step, and he could slip …
—Jerry Spinelli, Maniac Magee

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falsely

adverb

She was falsely accused.

false

adverb

Definition of false for Students

:in a dishonest or misleading manner

He spoke false.

Medical Dictionary

false

play

adjective \ ˈfȯls \

medical Definition of false

falser; falsest

1 :not corresponding to truth or reality

a test for HIV which gave false results

2 :artificially made

false teeth

3 :of a kind related to or resembling another kind that is usually designated by the unqualified vernacular

false oats

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falsely

adverb

—

falseness

noun

Law Dictionary

false

adjective

legal Definition of false

1 :not genuine, authentic, or legitimate — compare counterfeit

2 a :not true or correct; especially :intentionally or knowingly untrue or incorrect

injured by false accusations

b :intended to mislead or deceive :deceptive, misleading — compare fraudulent

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falsely

adverb

—

falseness

noun

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FALSE Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of false for English Language Learners

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Definition of false for Students

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medical Definition of false

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legal Definition of false

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