false

[ fawls ]

/ fɔls /

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See synonyms for: false / falsely / falseness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, fals·er, fals·est.

not true or correct; erroneous: a false statement.

uttering or declaring what is untrue: a false witness.

not faithful or loyal; treacherous: a false friend.

tending to deceive or mislead; deceptive: a false impression.

not genuine; counterfeit.

based on mistaken, erroneous, or inconsistent impressions, ideas, or facts: false pride.

used as a substitute or supplement, especially temporarily: false supports for a bridge.

Biology. having a superficial resemblance to something that properly bears the name: the false acacia.

not properly, accurately, or honestly made, done, or adjusted: a false balance.

inaccurate in pitch, as a musical note.

adverb

dishonestly; faithlessly; treacherously: Did he speak false against me?

OTHER WORDS FOR false

1 mistaken, incorrect, wrong, untrue.

2 untruthful, lying, mendacious.

3 insincere, hypocritical, disingenuous, disloyal, unfaithful, inconstant, perfidious, traitorous.

4 misleading, fallacious.

5 artificial, spurious, bogus, forged.

See synonyms for false on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about false

play someone false, to betray someone; be treacherous or faithless.

Origin of false

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English fals, from Latin falsus “feigned, false,” originally past participle of fallere “to deceive”; reinforced by or reborrowed from Anglo-French, Old French fals (feminine false ), from Latin

synonym study for false

5. 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

falsely, adverbfalseness, nounhalf-false, adjectivequasi-false, adjective

quasi-falsely, adverb

Words nearby false

fall under, fall webworm, fall wind, Falmouth, FALN, false, false acacia, false alarm, false aloe, false ankylosis, false aralia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use false in a sentence

Additionally, The New York Times’ Daily Distortions vertical tracks false and misleading information, and The Washington Post’s Fact Checker was created in 2007 to hold mostly politicians accountable for false or misleading statements.
Why local broadcaster Tegna is making a big bet on its fact-checking vertical Verify|Sara Guaglione|February 12, 2021|Digiday
He’s concerned, in the meantime, that the rollout of vaccines could lead to a false sense of security, followed again by spikes in infections, but his focus continues to be on getting businesses to comply.
Despite Crackdown Announcement, Not Much COVID-19 Enforcement Is Happening|Jesse Marx|February 11, 2021|Voice of San Diego
Increasingly, scientists have found that nonbiological chemical processes can create similar shapes, suggesting the possibility of “false positives” in the biological record.
Fossil mimics may be more common in ancient rocks than actual fossils|Carolyn Gramling|February 9, 2021|Science News
“Parents can have a false sense of security, especially when they’re around their children all the time,” Olson said.
With children stuck at home during coronavirus shutdowns, online sexual predators can swoop in|Dan Morse|February 5, 2021|Washington Post

A reasonable person would assume she was talking about coronavirus cases and deaths — which would be false.
South Dakota’s covid-19 numbers have been terrible, but the governor says that’s the wrong metric|Glenn Kessler|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
And no issue should be defined by its outliers because it paints a false picture.
Bill de Blasio’s Tea Party Problem|Will Cain|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He has contributed to a false picture of law enforcement based on isolated injustices.
Bill de Blasio’s Tea Party Problem|Will Cain|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Nothing else to do” was the most common response for why people chose to go to The Ball, though that rang a little false to me.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots|Emily Shire|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He quotes an unnamed cardinal saying that the conclave voters knew the charges were false.
How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF|Jason Berry|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once people with ID are arrested, they are particularly susceptible to making coerced and often false confessions.
How the U.S. Justice System Screws Prisoners with Disabilities|Elizabeth Picciuto|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the sheer quantity of the inflated currency and false money forces prices higher still.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
The rest is done by cutting away two upper and four under-teeth, and substituting false ones at the desired angle.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
He was thrashed at school before the Jews and the hubshi, for the heinous crime of bringing home false reports of progress.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
I will not, therefore, say that the proposition that the value of everything equals the cost of production is false.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
But his servant runs after the man, and gets two talents of silver and some garments under false pretences.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford

British Dictionary definitions for false

false

/ (fɔːls) /

adjective

not in accordance with the truth or facts

irregular or invalida false start

untruthful or lyinga false account

not genuine, real, or natural; artificial; fakefalse eyelashes

being or intended to be misleading or deceptivea false rumour

disloyal or treacherousa false friend

based on mistaken or irrelevant ideas or factsfalse pride; a false argument

(prenominal) (esp of plants) superficially resembling the species specifiedfalse hellebore

serving to supplement or replace, often temporarilya false keel

music

(of a note, interval, etc) out of tune
(of the interval of a perfect fourth or fifth) decreased by a semitone
(of a cadence) interrupted or imperfect

adverb

in a false or dishonest manner (esp in the phrase play (someone) false)

Derived forms of false

falsely, adverbfalseness, noun

Word 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

Other 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

false

OTHER WORDS FOR false

Idioms about false

Origin of false

synonym study for false

OTHER WORDS FROM false

Words nearby false

Words related to false

How to use false in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for false

Derived forms of false

Word Origin for false

Other Idioms and Phrases with false