misrepresent

verb

mis·​rep·​re·​sent (ˌ)mis-ˌre-pri-ˈzent 

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

(ˌ)mis-ˌre-pri-ˌzen-ˈtā-shən 

-zən-

noun

misrepresentative

(ˌ)mis-ˌre-pri-ˈzen-tə-tiv 

adjective

Synonyms of misrepresent

• distort

Examples of misrepresent in a Sentence

The company is accused of misrepresenting its earnings.

The movie deliberately misrepresents the facts about her life.

Recent Examples on the Web

These include misrepresenting a plan's benefits, hiding important costs or falsely suggesting that a limited-benefit product provides comprehensive medical coverage. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026

Folwell, for her part, said opponents of the initiative were deliberately misrepresenting its actual language to mislead voters — and would have done so no matter the language used. — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 10 Nov. 2026

The holdout juror, Michael Péguy Desronvil, who came forward after facing public scrutiny, has said his position was misrepresented by some of his fellow jurors who spoke to the press. — Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2026

Researchers studying false online information have been worried about the potential for such accusations to recirculate as normal glitches get misrepresented. — Jane Lytvynenko, NBC news, 3 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for misrepresent

• accent
• advent
• ascent
• assent
• augment
• cement
• consent
• dement
• descent
• detent
• dissent
• event

Kids Definition

misrepresent

verb

mis·​rep·​re·​sent (ˌ)mis-ˌrep-ri-ˈzent 

: to give a false or misleading idea of

misrepresentation

(ˌ)mis-ˌrep-ri-ˌzen-ˈtā-shən 

noun

Legal Definition

misrepresent

transitive verb

mis·​rep·​re·​sent mis-ˌre-pri-ˈzent 

: to make a misrepresentation about

intransitive verb

: to make a misrepresentation

misrepresentative

-ˌre-pri-ˈzen-tə-tiv 

adjective

misrepresenter noun