• (British, New Zealand, Aus) IPA: /fɔːls/, /fɒls/
• (America) IPA: /fɔls/, /fɑls/

false (comparative falser, superlative falsest)

1. Untrue, not factual, factually incorrect.
2. Based on factually incorrect premises.

   false legislation, false punishment

3. Spurious, artificial.

   false teeth

   • 1907, Robert William Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326 ↗:

     At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum.

4. (logic) Of a state in Boolean logic that indicates a negative result.
5. Uttering falsehood; dishonest or deceitful.

   a false witness

6. Not faithful or loyal, as to obligations, allegiance, vows, etc.; untrue; treacherous.

   a false friend, lover, or subject;  false to promises

   • {{RQ:Milton SA|passage=I to myself was false, ere thou to me.
7. Not well founded; not firm or trustworthy; erroneous.

   a false conclusion;  a false construction in grammar

   • whose false foundation waves have swept away

8. Not essential or permanent, as parts of a structure which are temporary or supplemental.
9. Used in the vernacular name of a species (or group of species) together with the name of another species to which it is similar in appearance.

   false scorpion (an arachnid)

   false killer whale (a dolphin)

   false powderpost beetles (members of ll mul not in ll mul)

10. (music) Out of tune.

• lease
• See also Thesaurus:false

• (untrue) real, true

• French: faux, incorrect
• German: falsch, unwahr
• Italian: falso, errato, bugiardo
• Portuguese: falso, errado
• Russian: фальши́вый
• Spanish: falso

• French: faux, artificiel
• German: falsch, unecht
• Italian: posticcio, finto
• Portuguese: falso, artificial
• Spanish: postizo

• French: faux
• German: falsch
• Italian: falso
• Portuguese: falso
• Spanish: falso

false

1. in a dishonest and disloyal way; falsely.
   • 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act V, scene ii]:

     You play me false.

false (plural falses)

1. One of two options on a true-or-false test.

   The student received a failing grade for circling every true and false on her quiz.

false (not comparable)

1. (electronics) one of two states of a Boolean variable; logic 0.