false

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Contrary to the facts; not correct or not true.

   Grammar: Usually before a noun or after be: a false statement, the answer is false.

   Patterns

   • be false
   • a false claim about something

   The rumor that the school would close turned out to be false.

   She gave a false name to the receptionist.

   True or false: the sun is a star?

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Made to look real or natural in order to imitate or deceive; artificial.

   Grammar: Sits before the noun it describes: false teeth, a false beard.

   Patterns

   • false something

   He wore a false mustache to the costume party.

   The thief hid the jewels in a false bottom inside the suitcase.

   My grandfather takes out his false teeth at night.

3. 3adjectivecomparable

   Not sincere or loyal; showing feelings or promises that are not real.

   Grammar: Can be used before a noun or after be: a false friend, he proved false.

   Patterns

   • be false to someone
   • false promises

   She saw through his false kindness at once.

   The company made false promises about job security.

   He felt betrayed by a false friend.

4. 4adjectivebefore a noun

   Mistaken or caused by a wrong belief, so that a feeling or result is not justified.

   Grammar: Used before a noun to say the thing is wrong, not deliberately faked: a false alarm.

   Patterns

   • a false sense of something

   The smoke was just burnt toast, so it was a false alarm.

   A single good grade gave him a false sense of security.

   The test returned a false positive.

Word forms

Common combinations

false alarm

The fire brigade arrived quickly, but it was only a false alarm.

false impression

The photo gives a false impression of how big the room is.

false start

After two false starts, the race finally began.

false pretenses

She was hired under false pretenses and soon lost the job.

prove false

His claim was proved false by the records.

false hope

I do not want to give you false hope about the results.

Synonyms and how they differ

untrue

Untrue is a plain word for a statement that does not match the facts, while false also covers fake objects and insincere people.

fake

Fake stresses that something was made to pass as the real thing, and it is far more informal than false when describing objects.

wrong

Wrong simply says an answer or idea is not correct, with no suggestion that anyone meant to mislead.

insincere

Insincere describes only people and their words or feelings, whereas false is also used for facts and objects.

Opposites

Word family

falsely adverb

in a wrong or untruthful way

falseness noun

the quality of being untrue or insincere

falsehood noun

a lie, or the state of being untrue

falsify verb

to change records or facts in order to deceive

falsity noun

the fact of being untrue

Commonly confused: false or fault?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “false”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words