misrepresent

verb

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

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

Synonyms of misrepresent

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In November 2023, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin began investigating First Choice Women’s Resource Center to see whether the nonprofit had violated state consumer fraud laws by misrepresenting its services to clients, donors and the public. Carly Thomsen, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025 The Washington Post is currently pioneering the field of AI slop podcasts, allowing users to generate audio content that, according to staffers, is full of errors and misrepresents articles by the newspaper’s actual reporters. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 Dec. 2025 Meta said the report misrepresented its efforts on teen safety. Michael Casey, Fortune, 6 Dec. 2025 The editors of the journal said the authors misrepresented and selectively cited, or cherrypicked, data and that there were no valid justifications for the mechanisms the authors proposed for prevention. Jamie Gumbrecht, CNN Money, 5 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for misrepresent

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of misrepresent was in 1649

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Misrepresent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misrepresent. Accessed 21 Dec. 2025.

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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