17 definitions found for false

False FALSE, a. [L. falsus, from fallo, to deceive. See Fall and Fail.]
1. Not true; not conformable to fact; expressing what is contrary to that which exists, is done, said or thought. A false report communicates what is not done or said. A false accusation imputes to a person what he has not done or said. A false witness testifies what is not true. A false opinion is not according to truth or fact. The word is applicable to any subject, physical or moral.
2. Not well founded; as a false claim.
3. Not true; not according to the lawful standard; as a false weight or measure.
4. Substituted for another; succedaneous; supposititious; as a false bottom.
5. Counterfeit; forged; not genuine; as false coin; a false bill or note.
6. Not solid or sound; deceiving expectations; as a false foundation
False and slippery ground.
7. Not agreeable to rule or propriety; as false construction in language.
8. Not honest or just; not fair; as false play.
9. Not faithful or loyal; treacherous; perfidious; deceitful. The king's subjects may prove false to him. So we say, a false heart.
10. Unfaithful; inconstant; as a false friend; a false lover; false to promises and vows.
The husband and wife proved false to each other.
11. Deceitful; treacherous; betraying secrets.
12. Counterfeit; not genuine or real; as a false diamond.
13. Hypocritical; feigned; made or assumed for the purpose of deception; as false tears; false modesty. The man appears in false colors. The advocate gave the subject a false coloring.
False fire, a blue flame, made by the burning of certain combustibles, in a wooden tube; used as a signal during the night.
False imprisonment, the arrest and imprisonment of a person without warrant or cause, or contrary to law; or the unlawful detaining of a person in custody.
FALSE, adv. Not truly; not honestly; falsely.
FALSE, v.t.
1. To violate by failure of veracity; to deceive. Obs.
2. To defeat; to balk; to evade. Obs.

false adj 1: not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality; "gave false testimony under oath"; "false tales of bravery" [ant: true] 2: arising from error; "a false assumption"; "a mistaken view of the situation" [syn: false, mistaken] 3: erroneous and usually accidental; "a false start"; "a false alarm" 4: deliberately deceptive; "false pretenses" 5: inappropriate to reality or facts; "delusive faith in a wonder drug"; "delusive expectations"; "false hopes" [syn: delusive, false] 6: 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" [syn: fake, false, faux, imitation, simulated] 7: designed to deceive; "a suitcase with a false bottom" 8: inaccurate in pitch; "a false (or sour) note"; "her singing was off key" [syn: false, off-key, sour] 9: 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" [syn: assumed, false, fictitious, fictive, pretended, put on, sham] 10: (used especially of persons) not dependable in devotion or affection; unfaithful; "a false friend"; "when lovers prove untrue" [syn: false, untrue] adv 1: in a disloyal and faithless manner; "he behaved treacherously"; "his wife played him false" [syn: faithlessly, traitorously, treacherously, treasonably, false]

false - marob

false aslef

false c.1200, from O.Fr. fals, faus, from L. falsus "deceived, erroneous, mistaken," pp. of fallere "deceive, disappoint," of uncertain origin. Adopted into other Gmc. languages (cf. Ger. falsch, Dan. falsk), though Eng. is the only one in which the active sense of "deceitful" (a secondary sense in L.) has predominated. Falsies "padded brassiere" first recorded 1943.

false fɔ:ls See: PLAY ONE FALSE, SAIL UNDER FALSE COLORS.

false I. adjective (falser; falsest) Etymology: Middle English fals, faus, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin falsus, from past participle of fallere to deceive Date: 12th century 1. not genuine <false documents> <false teeth> 2. a. intentionally untrue <false testimony> b. adjusted or made so as to deceive <false scales> <a trunk with a false bottom> c. intended or tending to mislead <a false promise> 3. not true <false concepts> 4. a. not faithful or loyal ; treacherous <a false friend> b. lacking naturalness or sincerity <false sympathy> 5. a. not essential or permanent — used of parts of a structure that are temporary or supplemental b. fitting over a main part to strengthen it, to protect it, or to disguise its appearance <a false ceiling> 6. inaccurate in pitch <a false note> 7. a. based on mistaken ideas <false pride> b. inconsistent with the facts <a false position> <a false sense of security> 8. threateningly sudden or deceptive <don't make any false moves> Synonyms: see faithless • falsely adverb • falseness noun II. adverb Date: 13th century in a false or faithless manner ; treacherously <his friends played him false>

false
adj. & adv.
--adj.
1 not according with fact; wrong, incorrect (a false idea).
2 a spurious, sham, artificial (false gods; false teeth; false modesty). b acting as such; appearing to be such, esp. deceptively (a false lining).
3 illusory; not actually so (a false economy).
4 improperly so called (false acacia).
5 deceptive.
6 (foll. by to) deceitful, treacherous, or unfaithful.
7 illegal (false imprisonment).
--adv. in a false manner (esp. play false).
Phrases and idioms:
false acacia see ACACIA. false alarm an alarm given needlessly. false bedding Geol. = CROSS-BEDDING. false colours deceitful pretence. false dawn a transient light in the east before dawn. false gharial see GHARIAL. false pretences misrepresentations made with intent to deceive (esp. under false pretences). false rib = floating rib. false start
1 an invalid or disallowed start in a race.
2 an unsuccessful attempt to begin something. false step a slip; a mistake. false topaz = CITRINE.
Derivatives:
falsely adv. falseness n. falsity n. (pl. -ies).
Etymology: OE fals and OF fals, faus f. L falsus past part. of fallere deceive

false Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If something is false, it is incorrect, untrue, or mistaken. It was quite clear the President was being given false information by those around him... You do not know whether what you're told is true or false... His sister said he had deliberately given the hospital a false name and address. ≠ true ADJ • falsely ...a man who is falsely accused of a crime. = wrongly ADV: ADV with v 2. You use false to describe objects which are artificial but which are intended to look like the real thing or to be used instead of the real thing. ...a set of false teeth... = artificial ≠ real ADJ: usu ADJ n 3. If you describe a person or their behaviour as false, you are criticizing them for being insincere or for hiding their real feelings. 'Thank you,' she said with false enthusiasm... ≠ genuine ADJ [disapproval] • falsely He was falsely jovial, with his booming, mirthless laugh... 'This food is divine,' they murmur, falsely. ADV: ADV adj, ADV after v

false fɔ:ls adj. & adv. --adj. 1 not according with fact; wrong, incorrect (a false idea). 2 a spurious, sham, artificial (false gods; false teeth; false modesty). b acting as such; appearing to be such, esp. deceptively (a false lining). 3 illusory; not actually so (a false economy). 4 improperly so called (false acacia). 5 deceptive. 6 (foll. by to) deceitful, treacherous, or unfaithful. 7 illegal (false imprisonment). --adv. in a false manner (esp. play false). øfalse acacia see ACACIA. false alarm an alarm given needlessly. false bedding Geol. = CROSS-BEDDING. false colours deceitful pretence. false dawn a transient light in the east before dawn. false gharial see GHARIAL. false pretences misrepresentations made with intent to deceive (esp. under false pretences). false rib = floating rib. false start 1 an invalid or disallowed start in a race. 2 an unsuccessful attempt to begin something. false step a slip; a mistake. false topaz = CITRINE. øøfalsely adv. falseness n. falsity n. (pl. -ies). [OE fals and OF fals, faus f. L falsus past part. of fallere deceive]

False False, adv. Not truly; not honestly; falsely. ``You play me false.'' --Shak.

False False, v. t. [L. falsare to falsify, fr. falsus: cf. F. fausser. See False, a.] 1. To report falsely; to falsify. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 2. To betray; to falsify. [Obs.] [He] hath his truthe falsed in this wise. --Chaucer. 3. To mislead by want of truth; to deceive. [Obs.] In his falsed fancy. --Spenser. 4. To feign; to pretend to make. [Obs.] ``And falsed oft his blows.'' --Spenser.

False False, a. [Compar. Falser; superl. Falsest.] [L. falsus, p. p. of fallere to deceive; cf. OF. faus, fals, F. faux, and AS. fals fraud. See Fail, Fall.] 1. Uttering falsehood; unveracious; given to deceit; dishnest; as, a false witness. 2. Not faithful or loyal, as to obligations, allegiance, vows, etc.; untrue; treacherous; perfidious; as, a false friend, lover, or subject; false to promises. I to myself was false, ere thou to me. --Milton. 3. Not according with truth or reality; not true; fitted or likely to deceive or disappoint; as, a false statement. 4. Not genuine or real; assumed or designed to deceive; counterfeit; hypocritical; as, false tears; false modesty; false colors; false jewelry. False face must hide what the false heart doth know. --Shak. 5. Not well founded; not firm or trustworthy; erroneous; as, a false claim; a false conclusion; a false construction in grammar. Whose false foundation waves have swept away. --Spenser. 6. Not essential or permanent, as parts of a structure which are temporary or supplemental. 7. (Mus.) Not in tune. False arch (Arch.), a member having the appearance of an arch, though not of arch construction. False attic, an architectural erection above the main cornice, concealing a roof, but not having windows or inclosing rooms. False bearing, any bearing which is not directly upon a vertical support; thus, the weight carried by a corbel has a false bearing. False cadence, an imperfect or interrupted cadence. False conception (Med.), an abnormal conception in which a mole, or misshapen fleshy mass, is produced instead of a properly organized fetus. False croup (Med.), a spasmodic affection of the larynx attended with the symptoms of membranous croup, but unassociated with the deposit of a fibrinous membrane. False door or window (Arch.), the representation of a door or window, inserted to complete a series of doors or windows or to give symmetry. False fire, a combustible carried by vessels of war, chiefly for signaling, but sometimes burned for the purpose of deceiving an enemy; also, a light on shore for decoying a vessel to destruction. False galena. See Blende. False imprisonment (Law), the arrest and imprisonment of a person without warrant or cause, or contrary to law; or the unlawful detaining of a person in custody. False keel (Naut.), the timber below the main keel, used to serve both as a protection and to increase the shio's lateral resistance. False key, a picklock. False leg. (Zo["o]l.) See Proleg. False membrane (Med.), the fibrinous deposit formed in croup and diphtheria, and resembling in appearance an animal membrane. False papers (Naut.), documents carried by a ship giving false representations respecting her cargo, destination, ect., for the purpose of deceiving. False passage (Surg.), an unnatural passage leading off from a natural canal, such as the urethra, and produced usually by the unskillful introduction of instruments. False personation (Law), the intentional false assumption of the name and personality of another. False pretenses (Law), false representations concerning past or present facts and events, for the purpose of defrauding another. False rail (Naut.), a thin piece of timber placed on top of the head rail to strengthen it. False relation (Mus.), a progression in harmony, in which a certain note in a chord appears in the next chord prefixed by a flat or sharp. False return (Law), an untrue return made to a process by the officer to whom it was delivered for execution. False ribs (Anat.), the asternal rebs, of which there are five pairs in man. False roof (Arch.), the space between the upper ceiling and the roof. --Oxford Gloss. False token, a false mark or other symbol, used for fraudulent purposes. False scorpion (Zo["o]l.), any arachnid of the genus Chelifer. See Book scorpion. False tack (Naut.), a coming up into the wind and filling away again on the same tack. False vampire (Zo["o]l.), the Vampyrus spectrum of South America, formerly erroneously supposed to have blood-sucking habits; -- called also vampire, and ghost vampire. The genuine blood-sucking bats belong to the genera Desmodus and Diphylla. See Vampire. False window. (Arch.) See False door, above. False wing. (Zo["o]l.) See Alula, and Bastard wing, under Bastard. False works (Civil Engin.), construction works to facilitate the erection of the main work, as scaffolding, bridge centering, etc.

false a. 1. Untrue, unveracious, mendacious, lying, contrary to truth. 2. Dishonest, perfidious, treacherous, disloyal, faithless, disingenuous, dishonorable, double-tongued, double-faced, false-hearted. 3. Unveracious, mendacious, lying, untrustworthy, unreliable, truthless, untruthful. 4. Counterfeit, spurious, forged, not genuine, feigned, hypocritical, make-believe, sham. 5. Incorrect, improper, erroneous, wrong, unfounded. 6. Fallacious, deceptive, deceiving, deceitful, delusive, misleading, disappointing.

false fɔ:ls adj. 1 untrue, unfactual, untruthful, wrong, amiss, mistaken, erroneous, incorrect, inaccurate, inexact, imprecise, faulty, flawed, invalid, unsound, unreal, imaginary, fictitious, spurious: The explorers gave a completely false picture of the local inhabitants. 2 untrue, untruthful, lying, misleading, fallacious, fabricated, made-up, concocted, mendacious, untrustworthy, fraudulent, meretricious, deceptive, deceitful, treacherous, Colloq phoney or US also phony: The testimony of this witness is completely false. 3 counterfeit, imitation, simulated, sham, forged, fraudulent, fake, artificial, synthetic, manufactured, unnatural, spurious, bogus, ersatz, factitious, mock, pseudo, Colloq phoney or US also phony: Your false teeth look almost real. 4 sham, feigned, affected, insincere, faked, manufactured, counterfeit(ed): Don't shed any false tears over me when I'm gone. 5 illogical, fallacious, unsound, invalid, flawed, faulty: That conclusion could come only from false reasoning.

217 Moby Thesaurus words for "false": Barmecidal, Barmecide, Machiavellian, Tartuffian, Tartuffish, aberrant, abroad, adrift, affected, airy, all abroad, all off, all wrong, ambidextrous, amiss, apostate, apparent, apparitional, artful, artificial, askew, astray, at fault, autistic, awry, backsliding, baseborn, bastard, beguiling, beside the mark, bogus, brummagem, calculating, canting, catchy, chimeric, chiseling, collusive, concocted, contrary to fact, corrupt, counterfeit, counterfeited, covinous, crafty, crooked, cunning, deceitful, deceiving, deceptive, defective, deluding, delusional, delusionary, delusive, delusory, dereistic, derelict, deviant, deviational, deviative, devious, disaffected, dishonest, disloyal, distorted, double, double-dealing, double-faced, double-minded, double-tongued, doublehearted, dreamlike, dreamy, dubious, dummy, duplicitous, errant, erring, erroneous, ersatz, fabricated, factitious, faithless, fake, faked, fallacious, false-principled, falsehearted, fantastic, faultful, faulty, feigned, fickle, fictitious, finagling, fishy, flawed, forged, fraudulent, furtive, goody, goody-goody, guileful, hallucinatory, heretical, heterodox, holier-than-thou, hollow, hypocritical, illegitimate, illogical, illusional, illusionary, illusive, illusory, imaginary, imitation, imprecise, in error, inaccurate, inconstant, incorrect, indirect, inexact, insidious, insincere, invalid, lying, made-up, manufactured, mealymouthed, mendacious, meretricious, misbegotten, miscreated, misleading, mistaken, mock, not right, not true, not true to, of bad faith, off, off the track, ostensible, out, peccant, perfidious, perverse, perverted, phantasmagoric, phantasmal, phantom, pharisaic, phony, pietistic, pinchbeck, pious, pseudo, questionable, recreant, renegade, sanctified, sanctimonious, scheming, seeming, self-contradictory, self-deceptive, self-deluding, self-righteous, sham, sharp, shifty, simulated, slippery, sneaky, snide, sniveling, specious, spectral, spurious, straying, substitute, supposititious, surreptitious, synthetic, traitorous, treacherous, trickish, tricksy, tricky, trothless, truthless, two-faced, unactual, unctuous, underhand, underhanded, unfactual, unfaithful, unfounded, unloyal, unnatural, unorthodox, unproved, unreal, unsound, unsteadfast, unsubstantial, untrue, untrustworthy, untruthful, visionary, wide, wily, wrong

false FALSE(1) User Commands FALSE(1) NAME false - do nothing, unsuccessfully SYNOPSIS false [ignored command line arguments] false OPTION DESCRIPTION Exit with a status code indicating failure. These option names may not be abbreviated. --help display this help and exit --version output version information and exit AUTHOR Written by Jim Meyering. REPORTING BUGS Report bugs to . COPYRIGHT Copyright (C) 2004 Free Software Foundation, Inc. This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. SEE ALSO The full documentation for false is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and false programs are properly installed at your site, the command info coreutils false should give you access to the complete manual. false 5.2.1 July 2004 FALSE(1)