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11 dictionary results for: False

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

false

[fawls] Pronunciation Key adjective, fals·er, fals·est, adverb

–adjective

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

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

3.	not faithful or loyal; treacherous: 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.	Biology. 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.

–adverb

11.	dishonestly; faithlessly; treacherously: Did he speak false against me?

—Idiom

12.	play someone false, to betray someone; be treacherous or faithless.

[Origin: bef. 1000; ME, OE fals < L falsus feigned, false, orig. ptp. of fallere to deceive; reinforced by or reborrowed from AF, OF fals, fem. false < L

]

—Related forms

falsely, adverb

falseness, noun

—Synonyms 1. mistaken, incorrect, wrong, untrue. 2. untruthful, lying, mendacious. 3. insincere, hypocritical, disingenuous, disloyal, unfaithful, inconstant, perfidious, traitorous. 4. misleading, fallacious. 5. artificial, spurious, bogus, forged. 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 usually 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, paper money, etc.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

false (fôls) Pronunciation Key
adj. fals·er, fals·est

Contrary to fact or truth: false tales of bravery.
Deliberately untrue: delivered false testimony under oath.
Arising from mistaken ideas: false hopes of writing a successful novel.
Intentionally deceptive: a suitcase with a false bottom; false promises.
Not keeping faith; treacherous: a false friend. See Synonyms at faithless.
Not genuine or real: false teeth; false documents.
Erected temporarily, as for support during construction.
Resembling but not accurately or properly designated as such: a false thaw in January; the false dawn peculiar to the tropics.
Music Of incorrect pitch.
Unwise; imprudent: Don't make a false move or I'll shoot.
Computer Science 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.

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
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.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

false
adjective
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"
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]
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]
7.	designed to deceive; "a suitcase with a false bottom"
8.	inaccurate in pitch; "a false (or sour) note"; "her singing was off key"
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]
10.	(used especially of persons) not dependable in devotion or affection; unfaithful; "a false friend"; "when lovers prove untrue"
adverb
1.	in a disloyal and faithless manner; "he behaved treacherously"; "his wife played him false" [syn: faithlessly]

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American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

false

In addition to the idioms beginning with false, also see lull into (false sense of security); play false; ring false.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: false
Function: adjective
1 : not genuine, authentic, or legitimate —compare COUNTERFEIT
2 a : not true or correct; especially : intentionally or knowingly untrue or incorrect false accusations> b : intended to mislead or deceive : DECEPTIVE, MISLEADING —compare FRAUDULENT —false·ly adverb —false·ness noun

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Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

FALSE
A small, compiled extensible language with lambda abstractions by W. van Oortmerssen.
For Amiga.

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U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

False Pass, AK (CDP, FIPS 24670) Location: 54.84103 N, 163.43685 W
Population (1990): 68 (36 housing units)
Area: 38.3 sq km (land), 6.3 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 99583

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

False

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

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

False

False\, v. t. [L. falsare to falsify, fr. falsus: cf. F. fausser. See False, a.]

1. To report falsely; to falsify. [Obs.] --Chaucer.