falsify

verb

fal·​si·​fy ˈfȯl-sə-ˌfī 

falsified; falsifying

transitive verb

1

: to prove or declare false : disprove

2

: to make false: such as

a

: to make false by mutilation or addition

the accounts were falsified to conceal a theft

b

: to represent falsely : misrepresent

3

: to prove unsound by experience

intransitive verb

: to tell lies : lie

falsifiability

ˌfȯl-sə-ˌfī-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

falsifiable

ˌfȯl-sə-ˈfī-ə-bəl 

adjective

falsification

ˌfȯl-sə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

noun

falsifier

ˈfȯl-sə-ˌfī(-ə)r 

noun

Synonyms

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

Examples of falsify in a Sentence

He was caught falsifying financial accounts.

taking that statement completely out of context essentially falsifies it, whether that's your intention or not

Recent Examples on the Web

Both men were charged with falsifying a public record, while Reyes faced an additional count of perjury and Salcedo was charged with a separate count of filing a false report. —James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2023

Profit motives for adoption firms created an incentive in the past to falsify or obscure documents to make more children available for adoption, sometimes without the birth parents’ knowledge. —Choe Sang-Hun, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023

Trump was indicted in the case by a Manhattan grand jury for allegedly falsifying business records in New York. —Jacqueline Alemany, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2023

McGrath was charged with wire fraud, embezzlement and falsifying a document. —Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 5 Sep. 2023

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has a trial that could last five weeks set to start March 25 on charges of falsifying business records. —Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2023

In March, he was charged with falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment during his 2016 campaign. —Brian Bennett, Time, 24 Aug. 2023

Trump has made similar recusal requests before, including in New York, where he is scheduled for trial in March for allegedly falsifying business records in connection to hush money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign. —Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023

Among the complaints removed are allegations of bias, falsifying police reports, and using excessive force, according to a Globe review of the databases. —Sean Cotter, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English falsifien, from Middle French falsifier, from Medieval Latin falsificare, from Latin falsus

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

falsify

verb

fal·​si·​fy ˈfȯl-sə-ˌfī 

falsified; falsifying

: to make false : change so as to deceive

falsify financial accounts

falsification

ˌfȯl-sə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

noun

falsifier

ˈfȯl-sə-ˌfī(-ə)r 

noun

Legal Definition

falsify

transitive verb

fal·​si·​fy ˈfȯl-si-ˌfī 

falsified; falsifying

: to make false: as

a

: to make (as a document) false by mutilation, alteration, or addition

the motel clerk had falsified the records

—M. A. Kelly

b

: to report (as information) falsely

the informant falsified his testimony