misinform

verb

mis·​in·​form ˌmis-in-ˈfȯrm 

misinformed; misinforming; misinforms

transitive verb

: to give incorrect or misleading information to (someone) : to inform (someone) wrongly

That small, self-serving cabal managed to misinform generations of Americans with malicious myths that misshaped history.

—Dana D. Kelley

"Pardon me," interrupted Alfred Inglethorp, "you have been misinformed. I had no quarrel with my dear wife. … "

—Agatha Christie

see also misinformed

Synonyms

• bamboozle
• beguile
• bluff
• buffalo
• burn
• catch
• con
• cozen
• deceive
• delude
• dupe
• fake out
• fool
• gaff
• gammon
• gull
• have
• have on [chiefly British]
• hoax
• hoodwink
• hornswoggle
• humbug
• juggle
• misguide
• mislead
• snooker
• snow
• spoof
• string along
• suck in
• sucker
• take in
• trick

Examples of misinform in a Sentence

had been misinformed about the purpose of the meeting and walked in on what was a surprise birthday party

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite an overwhelming scientific consensus, public perception of climate change remains varied and, at times, misinformed. —Monica Sanders, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024

Part of it is the nature of the platform, and part of it is put there by design to keep people misinformed. —Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Sep. 2024

Paul’s initial post prompted numerous comments calling him out for misinforming his followers about Khelif’s gender. —Diego Ramos Bechara, Variety, 3 Aug. 2024

Loading your audio article University of California at Santa Cruz is among a half-dozen California colleges that a new state audit found inaccurately reported violent crime on campus, leaving students misinformed about their safety. —Molly Gibbs, The Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

misinform

verb

mis·​in·​form

ˌmis-ən-ˈfȯ(ə)rm

: to give false or misleading information to

misinformation

ˌmis-ˌin-fər-ˈmā-shən

noun