false
false — adjective
1. Describes something that has been made to look like the real thing but is not —
Describes something that has been made to look like the real thing but is not — for example, a false passport, false teeth, or a false wall built to hide something.
Tyler wore a pair of false eyelashes to the costume party last weekend.
collocation: false eyelashes / false teeth / false passport
The security guard checked the passport and immediately knew it was false.
Lan bought a leather handbag at the market, but the material was false.
false material = not genuine
Police discovered a false wall in the basement where the stolen goods were kept.
The dentist made false teeth for my grandmother after she lost her own.
passive: fitted with false teeth
- false teeth
- false eyelashes
- false passport
- false ID
- false wall
- false ceiling
- false nails
- false beard
- fake
more common in informal speech for imitation goods
- imitation
suggests a copy not intended to deceive
- counterfeit
formal term for illegally copied money or goods
- artificial
focuses on being man-made rather than fake
Grammar Patterns
false + noun
Usage Note
Common before nouns for body parts (false teeth, false eyelashes, false nails) and documents (false passport, false ID). When describing a copy of a branded product, 'fake' is more frequent in everyday speech.
Common Mistakes
2. Describes a statement, claim, or piece of information that someone says knowing
Describes a statement, claim, or piece of information that someone says knowing it is not true, usually in order to gain an advantage or hide the truth.
The candidate was caught making false promises about lowering taxes during the debate.
collocation: false promise / false claim / false statement
Ezra gave the hotel a false name because he did not want to be found.
The newspaper printed a false report about the mayor's retirement plans.
Talia received an email that made a false claim about winning a lottery she had never entered.
false claim — intentionally untrue information
Carlos was arrested for making a false statement to the police during the investigation.
- false statement
- false claim
- false promise
- false name
- false accusation
- false report
- untrue
less accusatory; simply states the fact of not being true
- misleading
not necessarily a lie, but gives the wrong idea
- deceptive
focuses on the effect of causing wrong belief
- fraudulent
stronger, legal term for deliberate deception
Grammar Patterns
false + noun (statement, claim, promise)
Usage Note
Unlike sense 1 (NOT REAL), this sense is about spoken or written information, not physical objects. The noun is usually an abstract thing: claim, promise, statement, name, accusation, report, rumour.
Common Mistakes
3. Refers to the expression 'under false pretences', describing a situation where a
Refers to the expression 'under false pretences', describing a situation where a person obtains something — money, a job, or entry to a place — by hiding the truth about their identity, their actions, or their reasons.
The salesman gained entry to the elderly woman's house under false pretences.
fixed phrase: under false pretences
Niran was charged with obtaining money under false pretences from three different families.
Yuki got the job under false pretences by lying about her university degree.
The journalists entered the hospital under false pretences, pretending to be relatives of a patient.
gerund after 'by': by pretending to be...
- under false pretences
- gain entry under false pretences
- obtain money under false pretences
- under false pretences by pretending
- dishonestly
adverb covering the general idea, but less specific
- fraudulently
legal term matching the seriousness
Grammar Patterns
under false pretences
Usage Note
Almost always occurs in the prepositional phrase 'under false pretences' (British spelling) or 'under false pretenses' (American spelling). This is a fixed expression — you cannot replace 'false' with a synonym.
Common Mistakes
4. Not correct or accurate; this type of error typically results from wrong informa
Not correct or accurate; this type of error typically results from wrong information or a misunderstanding rather than from a deliberate intention to deceive others.
Folake had a false impression that the test would be easy and did not study.
collocation: false impression
The map gave us a false sense of how far the train station really was.
Isabela's conclusion was based on several false assumptions about the data.
Many people hold the false belief that drinking eight glasses of water daily is necessary.
false belief — a common but mistaken idea
The student's calculation was false because she had misread the chart.
- false impression
- false sense of security
- false assumption
- false belief
- false hope
- false economy
- wrong
most common everyday word for incorrect
- incorrect
more formal than 'wrong', common in academic settings
- inaccurate
suggests small errors rather than complete wrongness
- mistaken
focuses on the person holding the wrong idea
Grammar Patterns
be false
false + noun (assumption, impression, belief)
Usage Note
This sense contrasts with sense 2 (DISHONEST): here the information is wrong by accident or misunderstanding, not by deliberate design. 'False' in this sense overlaps with 'wrong' and 'incorrect', but 'false' often carries a slightly more formal tone.
Common Mistakes
5. Describes a display of emotion or politeness that is not genuine — the person ap
Describes a display of emotion or politeness that is not genuine — the person appears to feel something kind or friendly but does not really feel it.
Quinn forced a false smile when the boring guest arrived at the party.
collocation: false smile / false laughter / false tears
Her words of comfort sounded false to everyone who knew she disliked the family.
The actor's false tears on stage did not convince the audience at all.
Christopher's false modesty annoyed his colleagues because they knew he was proud of his work.
false modesty — pretending not to be proud
Élise offered false compliments about the meal, even though she thought it tasted terrible.
- false smile
- false laughter
- false tears
- false modesty
- false sympathy
- false compliments
Grammar Patterns
false + noun (emotion, display)
be false
Usage Note
Often describes visible expressions (smile, tears, laughter) or socially expected behaviour (modesty, sympathy, compliments). The closest everyday synonym is 'fake', which is more informal and covers a broader range.
Common Mistakes
6. Describes a person who appears to be a friend or supporter but secretly acts aga
Describes a person who appears to be a friend or supporter but secretly acts against you, showing no loyalty when it matters.
Anjali learned that her close colleague was a false friend and had been spreading rumours behind her back.
In the novel, a false friend betrays the prince to seize the throne for himself.
collocation: false friend — disloyal person
Sophia warned her brother that the new neighbour seemed like a false friend seeking favours.
The old king surrounded himself with false friends who wanted only his money.
- false friend
- prove false
- disloyal
direct synonym; the standard word
- unfaithful
often used for romantic relationships
- treacherous
stronger, implies dangerous betrayal
- two-faced
informal, describes someone who acts friendly but isn't
- loyal
faithful and dependable
- trustworthy
can be relied on
Grammar Patterns
false + noun (friend, lover)
Usage Note
This sense is most commonly found in the fixed noun phrase 'false friend', which describes a person. Note that 'false friend' has a completely different meaning in linguistics (a word in another language that looks like one in your language but means something different).
Common Mistakes
false alarm
idiomA warning about danger that turns out to be unnecessary because there was no actual danger.
The fire alarm went off in the hotel at midnight, but it was a false alarm caused by burnt toast in the kitchen.
Stephanie rushed to the hospital after feeling chest pains, but the doctors said it was a false alarm and sent her home.
false start
idiomAn attempt to begin something that fails at the very beginning and has to be started again.
After several false starts, the science team finally managed to launch the weather balloon successfully.
The runner was disqualified from the race after making a false start at the sound of the gun.
false hope
idiomA feeling of optimism about something good that is very unlikely or impossible to happen.
Doctors refused to give the family false hope, explaining honestly that the treatment might not work.
The charity warned donors not to raise false hope among the villagers about the new hospital opening next month.
A test result that is wrong: a false positive shows a condition exists when it does not; a false negative shows no condition when it does exist.
The pregnancy test gave a false positive result, so Imani was very confused when the hospital test showed she was not pregnant.
Security cameras sometimes trigger false positives, mistaking a stray cat for an intruder in the yard at night.
false move
idiomAn action or decision that is a mistake and could cause problems or danger.
In chess, one false move can lose the entire game, so Hyun always thinks carefully before moving a piece.
The negotiations were going well, but one false move from either side could destroy the agreement completely.
Acting dishonestly by pretending to be someone or something you are not, usually to get something you want.
He got the job under false pretences by lying about his degree.
Sara entered the building on false pretences, claiming to be a reporter.
To seem sincere and believable, or to seem insincere and not believable.
Her apology rang hollow because she was still laughing.
Does his explanation ring true to you, or does it sound fake?
false — adverb
1. In a way that is dishonest or not faithful to someone who trusted you; found mai
In a way that is dishonest or not faithful to someone who trusted you; found mainly in older literature, formal writing, or poetry rather than in everyday speech.
The captain's second-in-command acted falsely by sharing battle plans with the enemy.
collocation: act falsely — betray trust
Pedro swore he would never speak falsely to his closest friend.
Historians proved that the witness had testified falsely at the trial.
The old poem describes a knight who vowed never to deal falsely with anyone.
literary register
- act falsely
- speak falsely
- swear falsely
- dishonestly
standard modern adverb
- untruthfully
focuses on factually wrong statements
- treacherously
stronger, implies betrayal
- honestly
in a truthful way
- faithfully
with loyalty and trust
Usage Note
This adverb is rare in modern everyday English. Most speakers use 'dishonestly' or 'untruthfully' instead. You are most likely to find it in older literature, formal legal writing, or poetic contexts.
Word family
- falselyadverbB1
- falsehoodnounB2
- falsifyverbC1
- falsificationnounC1
- falsitynounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/4
All five words describe something that is not correct, but they differ in how they are used. 'Wrong' is the most common everyday word — you use it in casual speech ('the wrong answer', 'wrong turn') and it can sound quite direct. 'Incorrect' is more formal and is the standard choice in academic or professional settings ('an incorrect calculation', 'incorrect data'). 'False' overlaps with 'incorrect' but adds the sense that the wrongness comes from a deeper misunderstanding ('false assumption', 'false sense of security'). 'Inaccurate' is milder — it suggests something is close to correct but not precise ('an inaccurate estimate'). 'Mistaken' focuses on the person holding the wrong idea ('I was mistaken about the time'). Example: 'The map gave a wrong direction' (everyday speech); 'The report contained inaccurate figures' (mild criticism); 'His belief was based on a false assumption' (the whole premise was wrong).
Common collocations
Adverbs
- clearly false
- obviously false
- completely false
- patently false
- demonstrably false
Phrases
- prove false
- turn out false
- ring false
- be shown to be false
Etymology
The word 'false' entered English through Old French 'fals', which came from Latin 'falsus', meaning 'deceived, mistaken, or counterfeit'. The Latin word is the past participle of 'fallere', meaning 'to deceive, to lead astray, or to disappoint'. The sense of 'treacherous, disloyal' (as in 'false friend') was already present in Latin. Over time the meaning broadened from deliberate deception to also cover genuine mistakes (false assumptions) and imitations (false teeth). The word has kept both the 'dishonest' and the 'not real' meanings throughout its history in English.