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

The final step is to apply a set of false lashes to achieve Jenner-level lengths. — Zoe Weiner, Allure, "Watch Manny MUA Flawlessly Recreate Kylie Jenner’s Entire Makeup Routine," 9 July 2018 Szarmach was later charged with filing a false tax return, and agreed to pay upward of $89,000 in restitution as a part of his sentence. — Craig Lyons, Post-Tribune, "Co-defendants of former Sheriff Buncich get probation for roles in bribery scheme," 9 July 2018 For the record, the totally baseless and offensive claims made against me today on social media are completely false. — NBC News, "NFL player LeSean McCoy's estranged ex-girlfriend attacked during home invasion," 11 July 2018 While Baldwin has been rumored to have dated a number of guys, many of these speculations turned out to be false. — Sam Tornow, Billboard, "A Timeline of Hailey Baldwin's Dating History," 11 July 2018 Fellow Republican lawmakers, like Freedom Caucus Chair Mark Meadows, have said the accusations are false. — Tara Golshan, Vox, "Jim Jordan is accused of turning a blind eye to Ohio State sexual abuse. Now he’s attacking the accusers.," 6 July 2018 The health law advocates, in Friday's letter to CMS, said that claim is false. — Deborah Yetter, The Courier-Journal, "Health law advocates ask US officials to reject Bevin's Medicaid cuts," 6 July 2018 At a Senate hearing in May, Mr. Pruitt reiterated past defenses that some of the accusations of management missteps and improper spending were false—and that others were justified by policy needs or properly cleared by agency officials. — Louise Radnofsky, WSJ, "Embattled Scott Pruitt Resigns as EPA Administrator," 5 July 2018 But Gasapo’s lawyer argued that, as a public figure, Gasapo’s insults would have to meet a standard of actual malice—that is, statements that Gasapo knew to be false. — Anne Branigin, The Root, "Virginia Court Awards 'Unite the Right' Organizer $5 Because a Protester Called Him Names," 2 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

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.