falsify
Americanverb (used with object)
-
falsifies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
falsified,
past participle, past
-
falsifying
present participle
-
to make false or incorrect, especially so as to deceive.
to falsify income-tax reports.
-
to alter fraudulently.
-
to represent falsely.
He falsified the history of his family to conceal his humble origins.
-
to show or prove to be false; disprove.
to falsify a theory.
- Synonyms:
- controvert, confute, refute, discredit, rebut
verb (used without object)
-
falsifies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
falsified,
past participle, past
-
falsifying
present participle
verb
-
to make (a report, evidence, accounts, etc) false or inaccurate by alteration, esp in order to deceive
-
to prove false; disprove
Synonym Usage
See misrepresent.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
falsifysimple
-
falsifiessimple
-
have falsifiedperfect
-
has falsifiedperfect
-
am falsifyingprogressive
-
are falsifyingprogressive
-
is falsifyingprogressive
-
have been falsifyingperfect progressive
-
has been falsifyingperfect progressive
Past
-
falsifiedsimple
-
had falsifiedperfect
-
was falsifyingprogressive
-
were falsifyingprogressive
-
had been falsifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of falsify
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English falsifien, from Middle French falsifier, from Late Latin falsificāre; see origin at false, -ify
Explanation
To falsify is to alter or mangle something, like a message or document, in a way that distorts the meaning. Since false things aren't true, to falsify something is to dishonestly change its meaning. If a friend tells you a story, and then you retell the story but change important facts, you falsified the story. If you lie in court — commit perjury — you're falsifying the facts. Faking someone else's signature is another type of falsifying, as is lying on your resume. Anytime you misrepresent the truth, you're falsifying.
Vocabulary lists containing falsify
A Long Way from Chicago
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Salt to the Sea
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Unit 2: Vocabulary from Readings 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Candidates or senators who willingly falsify financial disclosures can be fined up to $50,000 or prosecuted for making a false statement to the government, a felony.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
“Why would that be the case that someone who got a gift card is more likely to falsify than someone who thinks I’m going to get $6,000 at the end of this?” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Some workers interviewed by the FBI said they falsified the forms to make themselves look more productive, but the documents don’t include evidence anyone was specifically paid to falsify applications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The policies are often completely bogus, are invalid because they falsify information to bring the price down, or are cancelled soon after purchase.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
To ensure secrecy held up, Nixon had the Air Force falsify reports on the bombing runs to look as if they took place over South Vietnam.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
It falsifies not just Black history but American history.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 2, 2023
Treasury has said that anyone who falsifies documentation or otherwise hides the true origin or price of Russian oil would face consequences under the domestic law of jurisdictions implementing the price cap.
From Reuters ● Sep. 20, 2022
“If a federal law enforcement officer lies, manipulates witnesses, and falsifies evidence, should the officer be liable for damages?” the U.S.
From New York Times ● Sep. 12, 2021
Veteran rancher John Landsburg faces federal bureaucracy when his old enemy, Tap Peterson, falsifies documents and alleges that Landsburg doesn’t own his family ranch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2020
Then he speaks to me of the Bible; but he falsifies all he tells me of, or he tells me of some new-born king or queen in the kingdom of God.
From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 14, No. 403, December 5, 1829 by Various
The agents had access to their logs and falsified some of them while they ran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
In 2025, a fourth report, into the death of a young woman, again highlighted falsified observation records.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
At its core, the crime known as huachicol fiscal is a vast tax evasion scheme centered on falsified paperwork — and corrupt officials.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Prosecutors said Alexander Soofer falsified invoices claiming he was serving fresh meals to residents while actually serving breakfast bars and microwavable ramen noodles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Mrs. Dowdel, you falsified those so-called Lincoln items. They’re bogus. I could have the law on you.”
From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck
So far, the head of the institute has said the only reasons to strip fellows of their titles is if they’ve conducted scientific misconduct, things like falsifying data, Twelvetrees said.
From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2026
But according to the indictment, he paid himself above-market rate to “rent” properties he already owned, falsifying records to show he’d paid market rate to made-up landlords in order to house his clients.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2026
Tactics include changing vessel names and falsifying coordinates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
The prosecution argued that falsifying flight records was rampant across the industry and Wright was worried his involvement in this practice would be blamed for the crash.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025
The vagueness lies in the focus of the negation—which phrase the writer had in mind as falsifying the whole sentence.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
