misrepresent

verb

mis·​rep·​re·​sent (ˌ)mis-ˌre-pri-ˈzent 

misrepresented; misrepresenting; misrepresents

transitive verb

1

: to give a false or misleading representation of usually with an intent to deceive or be unfair

misrepresented the facts

2

: to serve badly or improperly as a representative of

misrepresentation

(ˌ)mis-ˌre-pri-ˌzen-ˈtā-shən 

-zən-

noun

misrepresentative

(ˌ)mis-ˌre-pri-ˈzen-tə-tiv 

adjective

Synonyms

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

Examples of misrepresent in a Sentence

The company is accused of misrepresenting its earnings.

The movie deliberately misrepresents the facts about her life.

Recent Examples on the Web

The lawsuit, filed by members of the church in October 2024, stems from allegations that Gateway was not transparent with its finances and misrepresented how donations were spent despite generating $100 million in revenue in the past, according to The Christian Post. —Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Mar. 2025

Practicing Forgiveness—For Your Partner And Yourself Much like gratitude, forgiveness is commonly misrepresented. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025

This assertion not only misrepresents history but also ignores the shifting political and military realities of the battlefield. —William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025

These claims—which both simplify and misrepresent the historical record—signaled a major shift. —Michela Wrong, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for misrepresent

• accent
• advent
• ascent
• assent
• augment
• cement
• consent
• dement
• descent
• detent
• dissent
• event

Kids Definition

misrepresent

verb

mis·​rep·​re·​sent (ˌ)mis-ˌrep-ri-ˈzent 

: to give a false or misleading idea of

misrepresentation

(ˌ)mis-ˌrep-ri-ˌzen-ˈtā-shən 

noun

Legal Definition

misrepresent

transitive verb

mis·​rep·​re·​sent mis-ˌre-pri-ˈzent 

: to make a misrepresentation about

intransitive verb

: to make a misrepresentation

misrepresentative

-ˌre-pri-ˈzen-tə-tiv 

adjective

misrepresenter noun