Meanings
present singular third person falsifies · participle present falsifying · participle past falsified · past falsified
- transitiveTo alter so as to make false; especially when done with intent to deceive.
to falsify a record or document
1 more example
The Irish bards use to forge and falsify everything as they list, to please or displease any man.
1596 (date written; published 1633), Edmund Spenser, A Vewe of the Present State of Irelande […], Dublin: […] Societie of Stationers, […], →OCLC; republished as A View of the State of Ireland […] (Ancient Irish Histories), Dublin: […] Society of Stationers, […] Hibernia Press, […] [b]y John Morrison, 1809, →OCLC - transitiveTo misrepresent.
- transitiveotherwise archaicsciencesTo prove to be false.
By how much better than my word I am, / By so much shall I falsify men's hope.
c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]1 more example
Hovv much greater confirmation of his faith vvould he have received, had he ſeen our Saviour's prophecy ſtand good in the deſtruction of the temple, and the diſſolution of the Jevviſh œconomy, vvhen Jevvs and Pagans united all their endeavours under Julian the Apoſtate, to baffle and falſify the prediction?
a. 1720 (date written), Joseph Addison, “Section VIII. Against Atheism and Infidelity.”, in The Evidences of the Christian Religion, […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson […], published 1730, →OCLC, subsection VI, page 66 - transitiveaccountingTo show (an item of charge inserted in an account) to be wrong.
It will allow the account to stand, with liberty to the plaintiff to surcharge and falsify it
1833, Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States1 more example
The chancery rules governing proceedings to surcharge and falsify accounts are applicable only where an account has been stated between the parties, or where something equivalent thereto has been done.
1912, Peyton Boyle, The Federal Reporter: Cases Argued and Determined in the Circuit District Courts of the United States - obsoletetransitiveTo violate; to break by falsehood.
to falsify one's faith or word
1 more example
he would not falsify his promise to Philanax
The New Arcadia
a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
verbmake false by mutilation or addition; as of a message or story
verbtamper, with the purpose of deception
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinfalsificus
- Late Latinfalsificāre“make false, corrupt, counterfeit, falsify”
- Frenchfalsifier
- Englishfalsify
From French falsifier, from Late Latin falsificāre (“make false, corrupt, counterfeit, falsify”), from Latin falsificus, from falsus (“false”), corresponding to false + -ify.
More words from French, Late Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian фалшифици́рам, подпра́вям
- фалшифици́рам (falšificíram)to alter so as to be false
- подпра́вям (podprávjam)to alter so as to be false
- подпра́вя (podprávja)to alter so as to be false
- изопача́вам (izopačávam)to misrepresent
- изопача́ (izopačá)to misrepresent
- опроверга́вам (oprovergávam)to prove to be false
- опроверга́я (oprovergája)to prove to be false
Catalan falsificar, falsejar
- falsificarto alter so as to be false
- falsejarto alter so as to be false
- falsificarto misrepresent
- falsejarto misrepresent
- falsejarto prove to be false
- falsificarto prove to be false
Dutch vervalsen, vervalsen
- vervalsento alter so as to be false
- vervalsento counterfeit, forge
Esperanto falsi
- falsito alter so as to be false
Finnish väärentää, tekeytyä
- väärentääto alter so as to be false
- tekeytyäto misrepresent
- teeskennelläto misrepresent
- väärentääto counterfeit, forge
- osoittaa vääräksito prove to be false
- paljastaafinance: to show to be wrong
- väistää(obsolete in English) to baffle or escape
- pettää(obsolete in English) to break by falsehood
French falsifier
- falsifierto alter so as to be false
German falsifizieren, widerlegen
- falsifizierento prove to be false
- widerlegento prove to be false
Hebrew הפריך
- הפריך (hifríkh)to prove to be false
Hungarian hamisít, meghamisít
- hamisítto alter so as to be false
- meghamisítto alter so as to be false
- hamisítto counterfeit, forge
- cáfolto prove to be false
- megcáfolto prove to be false
- falszifikálto prove to be false
Japanese 改竄する, 偽造
- 改竄する (kaizan suru)to alter so as to be false
- 偽造 (gizō suru)to alter so as to be false
- 偽造する (gizō suru)to counterfeit, forge
Korean 위조하다
- 위조하다 (wijohada)to alter so as to be false
Latin ēmentior, vitio
- ēmentiorto alter so as to be false
- vitioto alter so as to be false
Māori tahupera, aweke
- tahuperato alter so as to be false
- aweketo alter so as to be false
- whakatapehato alter so as to be false
- aweketo misrepresent
Polish fałszować, podrabiać
- fałszowaćto alter so as to be false
- podrabiaćto alter so as to be false
- sfingowaćto alter so as to be false
- falsyfikowaćto alter so as to be false
- fałszowaćto counterfeit, forge
- sfałszowaćto counterfeit, forge
Portuguese falsificar, falsificar
- falsificarto alter so as to be false
- falsificarto misrepresent
Romanian denatura, falsifica
- denaturato alter so as to be false
- falsificato alter so as to be false
- falsificato misrepresent
Russian фальсифици́ровать, сфальсифици́ровать
- фальсифици́ровать (falʹsificírovatʹ)to alter so as to be false
- сфальсифици́ровать (sfalʹsificírovatʹ)to alter so as to be false
- подде́лывать (poddélyvatʹ)to alter so as to be false
- подде́лать (poddélatʹ)to alter so as to be false
- искажа́ть (iskažátʹ)to misrepresent
- искази́ть (iskazítʹ)to misrepresent
- опроверга́ть (oprovergátʹ)to prove to be false
- опрове́ргнуть (oprovérgnutʹ)to prove to be false
Spanish falsificar, falsear
- falsificarto alter so as to be false
- falsearto alter so as to be false
- falsificarto counterfeit, forge
- falsarto prove to be false
Ukrainian фальсифікува́ти
- фальсифікува́ти (falʹsyfikuváty)to alter so as to be false
Cite this entry
falsify. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/falsify
“falsify.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/falsify. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “falsify,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/falsify.
Source: falsify on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.