misrepresent

verb

mis·​rep·​re·​sent (ˌ)mis-ˌre-pri-ˈzent How to pronounce misrepresent (audio)
misrepresented; misrepresenting; misrepresents

transitive verb

1
: to give a false or misleading representation of usually with an intent to deceive or be unfair
misrepresented the facts
2
: to serve badly or improperly as a representative of
misrepresentation noun
misrepresentative adjective

Example Sentences

The company is accused of misrepresenting its earnings. The movie deliberately misrepresents the facts about her life.
Recent Examples on the Web But the experiments misrepresent the anticipated purpose of quantum computers. Sophia Chen, Wired, 11 July 2022 However, today—intentionally or unintentionally—many misconstrue his legacy, misrepresent his dream, and try to tear down the foundation Dr. King poured his life into building. Ebony Flake, Essence, 16 Jan. 2023 When people misrepresent the truth, that’s a problem. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Dec. 2022 By all accounts, the makers of Topilase are being extremely careful not to misrepresent their breakthrough product—and understandably so. Jolene Edgar, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 Dec. 2022 In the coming weeks, there will likely be stories that misrepresent what the committee discovered and that will promote conspiratorial claims with no basis in fact. Julian Zelizer, CNN, 20 Dec. 2022 There is worse, though: Catchy names and presentations that misrepresent a fund's returns and risks. John S. Tobey, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2022 There’s a major concern among police officers about selective recording and selective editing to misrepresent what really happened. Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2022 Despite there being no evidence that Danquah is a suspect in the murder, YouTubers and rap blog accounts decided to misrepresent their 2021 disagreement as one that took place days, even minutes, before PNB Rock’s shooting. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misrepresent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of misrepresent was in 1649

Dictionary Entries Near misrepresent

Cite this Entry

“Misrepresent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misrepresent. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

misrepresent

verb
mis·​rep·​re·​sent (ˌ)mis-ˌrep-ri-ˈzent How to pronounce misrepresent (audio)
: to give a false or misleading idea of
misrepresentation noun

Legal Definition

misrepresent

transitive verb
mis·​rep·​re·​sent mis-ˌre-pri-ˈzent How to pronounce misrepresent (audio)
: to make a misrepresentation about

intransitive verb

: to make a misrepresentation
misrepresentative adjective
misrepresenter noun

More from Merriam-Webster on misrepresent

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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