false

adjective

\ 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

At worst, omitting Magie from the Ms. Monopoly story only reinforces the false, misogynistic, and all-too-common belief that Monopoly is, then and now, purely a man’s game. — Mary Pilon, The New Yorker, "The Misplaced Feminism of Ms. Monopoly," 11 Sep. 2019 Minhaj’s act about the abrogation of Article 370 in the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir was, for the Shiv Sena member, spreading false propaganda. — Manavi Kapur, Quartz India, "Netflix has joined the list of things that Indians want banned," 6 Sep. 2019 His denial of knowing what Axios is rang particularly false, for somewhat obvious reasons. — Wired, "While You Were Offline: Could a Nuclear Bomb Stop a Hurricane?," 1 Sep. 2019 That was later found to be false, and investigators did not find a bomb anywhere on the scene. — oregonlive.com, "‘I have a knife. I have a bomb. And I have a hostage’: Portland police release details from fatal June officer-involved shooting," 21 Aug. 2019 Liu and his conspirators have been charged with nine counts of wire fraud, seven counts of passing false and fraudulent papers through customs and conspiracy. — Amy Gunia, Time, "U.S. Indicts Chinese Billionaire on Charges of Evading $1.8 Billion in Tariffs," 1 Aug. 2019 That turned out to be false, with academic research later suggesting that 3,000 to 4,000 people died as a result of the storm. — Alexia Fernández Campbell, Vox, "9 questions about Puerto Rico’s political crisis you were too embarrassed to ask," 30 July 2019 After a court hearing on Friday, Davies was found guilty of eight counts of fraud by false representation and sentenced to 34 months in jail. — Simon Head, MMA Junkie, "Welsh man jailed after using ex-UFC champ Cody Garbrandt's photo in Tinder catfish scam," 27 July 2019 Critics say lengthy detentions and interrogations with limited access to an attorney can lead to false confessions, such as the recent case of a woman released after 20 years in jail. — Washington Post, "Why Ghosn’s Back in Jail and What It Says About Japan," 18 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

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.