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
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falsifiessimple
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have falsifiedperfect
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has falsifiedperfect
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am falsifyingprogressive
-
are falsifyingprogressive
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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:
At the same time, technology like artificial intelligence makes it easier to falsify submissions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said that it was "intolerable" that the revision books for the French school leavers' exam, the baccalaureat, "falsify the facts" about the "terrorist and antisemitic attacks by Hamas".
From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026
We showed our undercover filming and translations to senior immigration lawyer Bryony Rest, who told us Hussain was "clearly offering to falsify documents".
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2025
So he allegedly coordinated with AlHusseini to falsify financial records and inflate AlHusseini’s worth by tens of millions of dollars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2025
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
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
One falsifies a key issue at an early turn on the U.S. path toward involvement in that war, while the other misrepresents an important turning point in its very last stage.
From Salon ● Nov. 12, 2018
But, by comparing in my memory what I have read in other histories, he neither aggravates nor falsifies any facts.
From The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D. — Volume 03 Swift's Writings on Religion and the Church — Volume 1 by Jonathan Swift
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
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 case against James, which has since been dismissed, centered on an allegedly falsified mortgage application.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
When the public hears about scientific fraud, the focus often falls on isolated cases involving falsified data, plagiarism or retracted studies.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 7, 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
Last fall resulted in lots of controversy as numerous players were declared ineligible for falsifying paperwork.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
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
The defendants engaged in a "deliberate and deceptive effort to transship controlled Nvidia GPUs to China by falsifying paperwork, creating fake contracts, and misleading US authorities," Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Nov. 20, 2025
Since January, state officials have revoked licenses for five of Young’s facilities over allegations including falsifying records, according to documents from the state regulator.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
It consisted in falsifying a series of production reports of two years ago in such a way as to cast discredit on a prominent member of the Inner Party who was now under a cloud.
From "1984" by George Orwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
