false

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false

(fôls)

adj. fals·er, fals·est

1. Contrary to fact or truth: false tales of bravery.

2. Deliberately untrue: delivered false testimony under oath.

3. Arising from mistaken ideas: false hopes of writing a successful novel.

4. Intentionally deceptive: a suitcase with a false bottom; false promises.

5. Not keeping faith; treacherous: a false friend. See Synonyms at faithless.

6. Not genuine or real: false teeth; false documents.

7. Erected temporarily, as for support during construction.

8. Resembling but not accurately or properly designated as such: a false thaw in January; the false dawn peculiar to the tropics.

9. Music Of incorrect pitch.

10. Unwise; imprudent: Don't make a false move or I'll shoot.

11. Computers Indicating one of two possible values taken by a variable in Boolean logic or a binary device.

adv.

In a treacherous or faithless manner: play a person false.

[Middle English fals, from Old English, counterfeit, and from Old French, false, both from Latin falsus, from past participle of fallere, to deceive.]

false′ly adv.

false′ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

false

(fɔːls)

adj

1. not in accordance with the truth or facts

2. irregular or invalid: a false start.

3. untruthful or lying: a false account.

4. not genuine, real, or natural; artificial; fake: false eyelashes.

5. being or intended to be misleading or deceptive: a false rumour.

6. disloyal or treacherous: a false friend.

7. based on mistaken or irrelevant ideas or facts: false pride; a false argument.

8. (Biology) (prenominal) (esp of plants) superficially resembling the species specified: false hellebore.

9. serving to supplement or replace, often temporarily: a false keel.

10. (Music, other) music

a. (of a note, interval, etc) out of tune

b. (of the interval of a perfect fourth or fifth) decreased by a semitone

c. (of a cadence) interrupted or imperfect

adv

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

[Old English fals, from Latin falsus, from fallere to deceive]

ˈfalsely adv

ˈfalseness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

false

(fɔls)

adj. fals•er, fals•est,
adv. adj.

1. not true or correct; erroneous; wrong: a false statement.

2. uttering or declaring what is untrue; lying: a false witness.

3. not faithful or loyal; treacherous; hypocritical: a false friend.

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

5. not genuine; counterfeit.

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

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

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

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

10. inaccurate in pitch, as a musical note.

adv.

11. dishonestly; faithlessly; treacherously.

Idioms:

play someone false, to betray or mislead someone.

[before 1000; Middle English, Old English fals < Latin falsus, past participle of fallere to deceive]

false′ly, adv.

false′ness, n.

syn: 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 usu. 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 and paper money.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.	1.	false - not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality; "gave false testimony under oath"; "false tales of bravery" incorrect, wrong - not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth; "an incorrect calculation"; "the report in the paper is wrong"; "your information is wrong"; "the clock showed the wrong time"; "found themselves on the wrong road"; "based on the wrong assumptions" counterfeit, imitative - not genuine; imitating something superior; "counterfeit emotion"; "counterfeit money"; "counterfeit works of art"; "a counterfeit prince" dishonest, dishonorable - deceptive or fraudulent; disposed to cheat or defraud or deceive insincere - lacking sincerity; "a charming but thoroughly insincere woman"; "their praise was extravagant and insincere" true - consistent with fact or reality; not false; "the story is true"; "it is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatever for supposing it true"- B. Russell; "the true meaning of the statement"
	2.	false - arising from error; "a false assumption"; "a mistaken view of the situation" mistaken incorrect, wrong - not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth; "an incorrect calculation"; "the report in the paper is wrong"; "your information is wrong"; "the clock showed the wrong time"; "found themselves on the wrong road"; "based on the wrong assumptions"
	3.	false - erroneous and usually accidental; "a false start"; "a false alarm" invalid - having no cogency or legal force; "invalid reasoning"; "an invalid driver's license"
	4.	false - deliberately deceptive; "false pretenses" insincere - lacking sincerity; "a charming but thoroughly insincere woman"; "their praise was extravagant and insincere"
	5.	false - inappropriate to reality or facts; "delusive faith in a wonder drug"; "delusive expectations"; "false hopes" delusive unrealistic - not realistic; "unrealistic expectations"; "prices at unrealistic high levels"
	6.	false - not genuine or real; being an imitation of the genuine article; "it isn't fake anything; it's real synthetic fur"; "faux pearls"; "false teeth"; "decorated with imitation palm leaves"; "a purse of simulated alligator hide" faux, imitation, simulated, fake artificial, unreal - contrived by art rather than nature; "artificial flowers"; "artificial flavoring"; "an artificial diamond"; "artificial fibers"; "artificial sweeteners"
	7.	false - designed to deceive; "a suitcase with a false bottom" dishonest, dishonorable - deceptive or fraudulent; disposed to cheat or defraud or deceive
	8.	false - inaccurate in pitch; "a false (or sour) note"; "her singing was off key" off-key, sour inharmonious, unharmonious - not in harmony
	9.	false - adopted in order to deceive; "an assumed name"; "an assumed cheerfulness"; "a fictitious address"; "fictive sympathy"; "a pretended interest"; "a put-on childish voice"; "sham modesty" fictive, pretended, put on, sham, assumed, fictitious counterfeit, imitative - not genuine; imitating something superior; "counterfeit emotion"; "counterfeit money"; "counterfeit works of art"; "a counterfeit prince"
	10.	false - (used especially of persons) not dependable in devotion or affection; unfaithful; "a false friend"; "when lovers prove untrue" untrue inconstant - likely to change frequently often without apparent or cogent reason; variable; "inconstant affections"; "an inconstant lover"; "swear not by...the inconstant moon"- Shakespeare
Adv.	1.	false - in a disloyal and faithless manner; "he behaved treacherously"; "his wife played him false" faithlessly, traitorously, treacherously, treasonably

false

adjective

1. incorrect, wrong, mistaken, misleading, faulty, inaccurate, invalid, improper, unfounded, erroneous, inexact This resulted in false information being entered.
incorrect right, sound, correct, exact, valid

2. untrue, fraudulent, unreal, concocted, fictitious, trumped up, fallacious, untruthful, truthless You do not know whether what you are told is true or false.
untrue true, reliable

3. artificial, forged, fake, mock, reproduction, synthetic, replica, imitation, bogus, simulated, sham, pseudo (informal), counterfeit, feigned, spurious, ersatz, pretended He paid for a false passport.
artificial real, genuine, authentic, sincere, honest, bona fide, kosher (informal), dinkum (Austral & N.Z. informal)

4. treacherous, lying, deceiving, unreliable, two-timing (informal), dishonest, deceptive, hypocritical, unfaithful, two-faced, disloyal, unsound, deceitful, faithless, untrustworthy, insincere, double-dealing, dishonourable, duplicitous, mendacious, perfidious, treasonable, traitorous, inconstant, delusive, false-hearted She was a false friend, envious of her lifestyle and her life with her husband.
treacherous loyal, faithful, trustworthy

play someone false cheat, betray, deceive, double-cross, stab in the back, sell down the river (informal), give the Judas kiss to

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

false

adjective

1. Devoid of truth:

counterfactual, specious, spurious, truthless, untrue, untruthful, wrong.

2. Containing an error or errors:

erroneous, fallacious, inaccurate, incorrect, mistaken, off, unsound, untrue, wrong.

Idioms: all wet, in error, off base, off the mark.

3. Containing fundamental errors in reasoning:

fallacious, illogical, invalid, sophistic, specious, spurious, unsound.

4. Fraudulently or deceptively imitative:

bogus, counterfeit, fake, fraudulent, phony, sham, spurious, suppositious, supposititious.

5. Not true to duty or obligation:

disloyal, faithless, false-hearted, perfidious, recreant, traitorous, treacherous, unfaithful, untrue.

Translations

إصْطِناعيخائِن، غادِر، غَير مُخْلِصزَائِفزائِف، مُزَيَّفكاذِب

falešnýklamnýnepravdivýnesprávnýšpatný

falskforlorenkunstigukorrekt

falschhinterfotzigkünstlich unwahr

ψευδής κίβδηλος νόθος πλαστός

falso postizo infiel postiza desleal

epätosiväärä

faux incorrect artificiel

lažan

hamisvalótlan

salah

falskurfalskur, gervi-falskur, svikullósannur, rangur

falso finto illusorio imitato posticcio

偽りの

그릇된

falsus

klastojimasnetaisyklingas startasneteisingasnetikras aliarmaspirmalaikis startas

liekuļotsmākslīgsnepareizsnepatiessviltots

vals fout onecht onjuist onwaar

falsk usann

fałszywy sztuczny

falso artificial errado

fals

ложный

lažennapačenponarejen

falskfalsktosann

เท็จ

sahte yalan yanlış yapay yapma

sai

假的无信义的不真实的人造的

false

[fɔːls]

A. ADJ

1. (= untruthful) [statement, accusation] → falso; (= mistaken) [idea, assumption, accusation] → equivocado
to give a false impression → dar una impresión falsa
false move → movimiento m en falso
one false move and you're dead → un movimiento en falso y te mato
false note → nota f falsa
a false sense of security → una falsa sensación de seguridad
false step → paso m en falso
see also lull, true A1

2. (= deceitful)
under false pretences → con engaños, con insidias
to extort money under false pretences → obtener dinero con engaños or insidias
you came here under false pretences → viniste aquí con engaños
to bear false witness (esp Bible) → levantar falso testimonio

3. (= inappropriate, insincere)
that was false economy → fue un mal ahorro
to give sb false hope(s) → dar falsas esperanzas a algn
to raise false hopes → crear falsas esperanzas
false modesty → falsa modestia f
false pride → falso orgullo m
his words rang false → sus palabras sonaban a falso
false smile → sonrisa f forzada

4. (= artificial) [hair, eyelashes] → postizo
a suitcase with a false bottom → una maleta con doble fondo
he registered in or under a false name → se registró bajo un nombre falso

5. (o.f.) (= disloyal) [friend] → desleal, pérfido; (= unfaithful) [lover] → infiel

B. CPD false alarm N → falsa alarma f
false arrest N → detención f ilegal
false ceiling N → cielo m raso, falso techo m
false dawn N (fig) → espejismo m
false friend N (Ling) → falso amigo m
false imprisonment N (by police) → detención f ilegal; (by criminal) → retención f ilegal
false start N (Sport) → salida f nula (fig) → comienzo m fallido
false teeth NPL → dentadura fsing postiza → dientes mpl postizos
false tooth N → diente m postizo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

false

[ˈfɔːls] adj

(= incorrect, untrue) [information, impression, belief] → faux(fausse); [allegation] → mensonger/ère; [name, alibi, statement] → faux(fausse)
under false pretences → sous un faux prétexte
a false sense of security → une illusion de sécurité
to give sb false hope → donner de faux espoirs à qn

(= artificial, imitation) [eyelashes, nails] → faux(fausse); [ID papers, documents, passport] → faux(fausse)
false bottom [suitcase] → double fond m

(= feigned) [modesty] → faux(fausse); [enthusiasm] → forcé(e)false alarm n → fausse alerte ffalse economy n → fausse économie ffalse friend n (LINGUISTICS) → faux ami m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

false

adj (+er)

(= wrong) → falsch; to put a false interpretation on something → etw falsch auslegen or deuten; to prove false → sich als falsch erweisen; a false sense of security → ein falsches Gefühl der Sicherheit; false accounting (Jur) → Bücherfälschung f; that’s a false economy → das ist am falschen Ort gespart; false imprisonment/arrest → willkürliche Inhaftierung/Festnahme; false judgement → Fehlurteil nt; false statement → Falschaussage f; under or by false pretences (Brit) or pretenses (US) → unter Vorspiegelung falscher Tatsachen; false god/prophet → falscher Gott/Prophet; to bear false witness (old) → falsches Zeugnis ablegen (Bibl, old), → eine falsche Aussage machen

(= artificial, fake) nose, beard → falsch; blood, eyelashes → künstlich; papers → gefälscht; false bottom (of suitcase) → doppelter Boden; false ceiling → Zwischendecke f

(pej: = insincere) laughter, enthusiasm → gekünstelt; false modesty → falsche Bescheidenheit; to ring false → nicht echt klingen

(= disloyal) friend, lover, wife, husband, servant → treulos; to be false to somebody → jdm untreu sein; (= deceive) → jdn hintergehen

adv to play somebody false → mit jdm ein falsches Spiel treiben

false

false alarm

n → falscher or blinder Alarm

false beginner

n Lernende(r) mit Vorkenntnissen, der/die noch einmal von vorne anfängt

false ceiling

n (Archit) → Zwischen- or Unterdecke f

false dawn

(Astron) → Zodiakal- or Tierkreislicht nt

(fig) the boom was a false → der Aufschwung erweckte falsche Hoffnungen

false friend

n (Ling) → falscher Freund

false front

(Archit, also fig) → falsche Fassade

(fig) → bloße Fassade, Mache f (inf, pej)

false-hearted

adj → falsch, treulos

false

False Memory Syndrome

n (Psych) → False-Memory-Syndrom nt

false move

n → falsche Bewegung; (fig: = mistake) → Fehler m; one false and you’re dead → eine falsche Bewegung und du bist tot; one false, and … (fig) → ein kleiner Fehler und …

false negative

n (Med) false (result) → falsch negative Diagnose

false

false positive

n (Med) false (result) → falsch positive Diagnose

false pregnancy

n (Med) → Scheinschwangerschaft f

false rib

n → falsche Rippe

false start

n → Fehlstart m

false teeth

pl → (künstliches) Gebiss, falsche Zähne pl

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

false

[fɔːls] adj (gen) → falso/a
false ceiling → controsoffitto
a false step → un passo falso
under false pretences → con l'inganno
with a false bottom → con doppio fondo

false

(foːls) adjective

1. not true; not correct. He made a false statement to the police.

2. not genuine; intended to deceive. She has a false passport.

3. artificial. false teeth.

4. not loyal. false friends.

ˈfalsehood noun

(the telling of) a lie. She is incapable of (uttering a) falsehood.

ˈfalsify (-fӕi) verb

to make false. He falsified the accounts.

ˌfalsifiˈcation (-fi-) noun

ˈfalsity noun

false alarm

a warning of something which in fact does not happen.

false start

in a race, a start which is declared not valid and therefore has to be repeated.

false

→ زَائِف nesprávný falsk falsch ψευδής falso väärä faux lažan falso 偽りの 그릇된 vals falsk fałszywy falso ложный falsk เท็จ sahte sai 假的

false

a. falso-a, incorrecto-a. no real;

___ anemia → anemia ___;

___ aneurysm → aneurisma ___;

___ ankylosis → anquilosis ___;

___ blepharoptosis → blefaroptosis ___;

___ diverticulum → divertículo ___;

___ hematuria → hematuria ___;

___ hermaphroditism → hermafroditismo ___;

___ image → imagen ___;

___ joint → articulación ___;

___ lumen → lúmen ___;

___ membrane → membrana ___;

___ memory syndrome → síndrome ___ de la memoria;

___ negative → ___ negativo;

___ neuroma → neuroma ___;

___ positive → ___ positivo;

___ pregnancy → embarazo ___;

___ rib → costilla ___;

___ suture → sutura ___;

___ vocal chords → cuerdas vocales ___ -s.

false

adj falso, (tooth, eye, etc.) postizo; — teeth dientes postizos, dentadura postiza

References in classic literature ?

The faces of these false heads were painted in many ridiculous ways, according to the whims of the owners, and these big, burly creatures looked so whimsical and absurd in their queer masks that they were called "Whimsies." They foolishly imagined that no one would suspect the little heads that were inside the imitation ones, not knowing that it is folly to try to appear otherwise than as nature has made us.

So he traveled to their country and asked to see the Chief, who lived in a house that had a picture of his grotesque false head painted over the doorway.

View in context

They also know how to play with false dice; and so eagerly did I find them playing, that they perspired thereby.

View in context

For every assertion must, as is admitted, be either true or false, whereas expressions which are not in any way composite such as 'man', 'white', 'runs', 'wins', cannot be either true or false.

View in context

I had long before remarked that, in relation to practice, it is sometimes necessary to adopt, as if above doubt, opinions which we discern to be highly uncertain, as has been already said; but as I then desired to give my attention solely to the search after truth, I thought that a procedure exactly the opposite was called for, and that I ought to reject as absolutely false all opinions in regard to which I could suppose the least ground for doubt, in order to ascertain whether after that there remained aught in my belief that was wholly indubitable.

View in context

But the false bride said to the prince, 'Dear husband, pray do me one piece of kindness.' 'That I will,' said the prince.

View in context

Two of the front teeth, in the upper jaw, were false. They had been so admirably made to resemble the natural teeth on either side of them, in form and color, that the witness had only hit on the discovery by accidentally touching the inner side of the gum with one of his fingers.

View in context

"To-morrow," said Holy Church, "she shall wed with False." And so the lovely Lady departed.

View in context

It was a natural reflection for Orestes to make, 'So I too must die at the altar like my sister.' So, again, in the Tydeus of Theodectes, the father says, 'I came to find my son, and I lose my own life.' So too in the Phineidae: the women, on seeing the place, inferred their fate:--'Here we are doomed to die, for here we were cast forth.' Again, there is a composite kind of recognition involving false inference on the part of one of the characters, as in the Odysseus Disguised as a Messenger.

View in context

The time comes, and your horse wins or does not win; according to the outcome, your belief was true or false. You may believe that six times nine is fifty-six; in this case also there is a fact which makes your belief false.

View in context

I don't wish to raise false hopes or false fears; I wish to stop short at the opinion I have given already.

View in context

Doth any man doubt, that if there were taken out of men's minds, vain opinions, flattering hopes, false valuations, imaginations as one would, and the like, but it would leave the minds, of a number of men, poor shrunken things, full of melancholy and indisposition, and unpleasing to themselves?