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

With one sentence, Fox News host Sean Hannity misinformed millions of viewers about voting rights in New York City. —Madison Czopek, Austin American-Statesman, 4 Mar. 2024

Those who were gathered on the streets of Ireland's capital on Thursday, Oct. 31, had apparently been misinformed by MySpiritHalloween.com. —David Chiu, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024

Despite the debunking of Wakefield’s allegations, Kennedy became a prominent American figure misinforming the public by continuing to maintain that there’s a link between childhood vaccines and autism. —Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

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