False Definition

fôls
falser, falsest
adjective
falser, falsest
Contrary to fact or truth.
False tales of bravery.
American Heritage
Deliberately untrue.
Delivered false testimony under oath.
American Heritage
Untruthful; lying; dishonest.
A false witness.
Webster's New World
Intentionally deceptive.
A suitcase with a false bottom; false promises.
American Heritage
Deceiving or meant to deceive; misleading.
A false scent.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
adverb
In a false manner.
Webster's New World
Not truly; not honestly; falsely.
Wiktionary
idiom
play someone false
  • to deceive, cheat, hoodwink, or betray someone
Webster's New World
put in a false position
  • to cause misunderstanding of the intentions, opinions, etc. of
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of False

Adjective

Base Form:
false
Comparative:
falser
Superlative:
falsest

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to False

Origin of False

  • Middle English false, from Anglo-Norman and Old French fals, faus, from Latin falsus (“counterfeit, false; falsehood”), perfect passive participle of fallō (“deceive”). Compare Old English fals (“wrong, mistaken”), German falsch, Dutch vals, Danish and Swedish falsk, all from Latin falsus. Displaced native Middle English les, lese (“false”), from Old English lēas; See lease, leasing.

    From Wiktionary

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

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • For spelling, the -e (on -lse) is so the end is pronounced /ls/, rather than /lz/ as in falls, and does not change the vowel (‘a’). Compare else, pulse, convulse.

    From Wiktionary

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