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

The student still needs enough subject knowledge to tell a sound argument from a merely plausible one, to notice a missing source, or to recognize that a polished chart misrepresents its data. — Ray Ravaglia, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

We have been studied, tracked, misrepresented, and monetized by tools built without us and aimed at us. — Daphne Bryson Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 Aug. 2026

Sánchez said human trafficking organizations misrepresented the decision, triggering the influx. — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026

By surrounding Brazilian funk’s fundamental elements with uncanny violin samples and disorienting synths, Agazero seems to offer a bleak vision of the way the country’s most popular genre has been distorted and misrepresented overseas. — Amanda Cavalcanti, Pitchfork, 31 July 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