falsify

verb

fal·​si·​fy ˈfȯl-sə-ˌfī 

falsified; falsifying

transitive verb

1

: to prove or declare false : disprove

2

: to make false: such as

a

: to make false by mutilation or addition

the accounts were falsified to conceal a theft

b

: to represent falsely : misrepresent

3

: to prove unsound by experience

intransitive verb

: to tell lies : lie

falsifiability

ˌfȯl-sə-ˌfī-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

falsifiable

ˌfȯl-sə-ˈfī-ə-bəl 

adjective

falsification

ˌfȯl-sə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

noun

falsifier

ˈfȯl-sə-ˌfī(-ə)r 

noun

Synonyms

• bend
• color
• cook
• distort
• fudge
• garble
• misinterpret
• misrelate
• misrepresent
• misstate
• pervert
• slant
• twist
• warp

Examples of falsify in a Sentence

He was caught falsifying financial accounts.

taking that statement completely out of context essentially falsifies it, whether that's your intention or not

Recent Examples on the Web

In the ComEd Four case, the four defendants were convicted for falsifying books and records, not any bribery of foreign officials that the law originally sought to punish, the defense pointed out in asking Shah last month to stay the proceedings. —Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025

She was sentenced in October 2014 to 15 months in prison after striking a deal with prosecutors and agreeing to plead guilty to mail, wire and bank fraud for falsifying statements on loan applications. —Tracy Wright, Fox News, 25 Mar. 2025

The conviction for falsifying records stemmed from the July 2019 dog bite while Amiri drove around Manly-Williams. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2025

Meanwhile, former detective Joshua Jaynes and former LMPD Sergeant Kyle Meany await trial for allegedly falsifying the search warrant that led to the deadly raid. —Melissa Noel, Essence, 13 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English falsifien, from Middle French falsifier, from Medieval Latin falsificare, from Latin falsus

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for falsify

• abscissae
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi
• certify

Kids Definition

falsify

verb

fal·​si·​fy ˈfȯl-sə-ˌfī 

falsified; falsifying

: to make false : change so as to deceive

falsify financial accounts

falsification

ˌfȯl-sə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

noun

falsifier

ˈfȯl-sə-ˌfī(-ə)r 

noun

Legal Definition

falsify

transitive verb

fal·​si·​fy ˈfȯl-si-ˌfī 

falsified; falsifying

: to make false: as

a

: to make (as a document) false by mutilation, alteration, or addition

the motel clerk had falsified the records

—M. A. Kelly

b

: to report (as information) falsely

the informant falsified his testimony