false
1 adj If something is false, it is incorrect, untrue, or mistaken., (Antonym: true)
It was quite clear the President was being given false information by those around him..., You do not know whether what you're told is true or false..., His sister said he had deliberately given the hospital a false name and address.
falsely adv ADV with v
(=wrongly)
...a man who is falsely accused of a crime.
2 adj You use false to describe objects which are artificial but which are intended to look like the real thing or to be used instead of the real thing.
usu ADJ n
(=artificial) (Antonym: real)
...a set of false teeth...
3 adj If you describe a person or their behaviour as false, you are criticizing them for being insincere or for hiding their real feelings.,
(disapproval, Antonym: genuine)
`Thank you,' she said with false enthusiasm...
falsely adv ADV adj, ADV after v He was falsely jovial, with his booming, mirthless laugh..., `This food is divine,' they murmur, falsely.
false alarm (false alarms plural )When you think something dangerous is about to happen, but then discover that you were mistaken, you can say that it was a false alarm. n-count
...a bomb threat that turned out to be a false alarm.
false move
You use one false move to introduce the very bad or serious consequences which will result if someone makes a mistake, even a very small one.
one false move phrase
One false move and I knew Sarah would be dead.
false positive (false positives plural )A false positive is a mistaken result of a scientific test. For example, if the result of a pregnancy test is a false positive, it indicates that a woman is pregnant when she is not. n-count oft N n
...a high rate of false positive results.
false start (false starts plural )
1 n-count A false start is an attempt to start something, such as a speech, project, or plan, which fails because you were not properly prepared or ready to begin.
Any economic reform, he said, faced false starts and mistakes.
2 n-count If there is a false start at the beginning of a race, one of the competitors moves before the person who starts the race has given the signal.
