false
[ fawls ]
/ fɔls /
adjective, fals·er, fals·est.
adverb
dishonestly; faithlessly; treacherously: Did he speak false against me?
Words nearby false
fallow, fallow deer, falls, fallujah, falmouth, false, false acacia, false alarm, false aloe, false anemia, false aneurysm
Idioms for false
play someone false, to betray someone; be treacherous or faithless.
Origin of false
before 1000; Middle English, Old English fals < Latin falsus feigned, false, orig. past participle of fallere to deceive; reinforced by or reborrowed from Anglo-French, Old French fals, feminine false < Latin
SYNONYMS FOR false
5 artificial, spurious, bogus, forged. False, sham, counterfeit agree in referring to something that is not genuine. False is used mainly of imitations of concrete objects; it sometimes implies an intent to deceive: false teeth; false hair. Sham is rarely used of concrete objects and usually has the suggestion of intent to deceive: sham title; sham tears. Counterfeit always has the implication of cheating; it is used particularly of spurious imitation of coins, paper money, etc.
OTHER WORDS FROM false
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for false
British Dictionary definitions for false
false
/ (fɔːls) /
adjective
adverb
in a false or dishonest manner (esp in the phrase play (someone) false)
Derived forms of false
falsely, adverbfalseness, nounWord Origin for false
Old English fals, from Latin falsus, from fallere to deceive
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with false
false
In addition to the idioms beginning with false
- false alarm
- false colors
- false start
- false step
also see:
- lull into (false sense of security)
- play false
- ring false
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.