falsify

/ˌfɔlsəˈfaɪ/

/ˈfɔlsɪfaɪ/

Other forms: falsified; falsifying; falsifies

To falsify is to alter or mangle something, like a message or document, in a way that distorts the meaning.

Since false things aren't true, to falsify something is to dishonestly change its meaning. If a friend tells you a story, and then you retell the story but change important facts, you falsified the story. If you lie in court — commit perjury — you're falsifying the facts. Faking someone else's signature is another type of falsifying, as is lying on your resume. Anytime you misrepresent the truth, you're falsifying.

Definitions of falsify

1. verb

   make false by mutilation or addition; as of a message or story
   synonyms: distort, garble, warp

   types:

   mangle, murder, mutilate

   alter so as to make unrecognizable

   type of:

   belie, misrepresent

   represent falsely
2. verb

   falsify knowingly
   “She falsified the records”

   antonyms:

   correct

   make right or correct

   type of:

   change by reversal, reverse, turn

   change to the contrary
3. verb

   insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby
   synonyms: alter, interpolate

   type of:

   edit, redact

   prepare for publication or presentation by correcting, revising, or adapting
4. verb

   tamper, with the purpose of deception
   “falsify the data”

   synonyms: cook, fake, fudge, manipulate, misrepresent, wangle

   types:

   juggle

   manipulate by or as if by moving around components

   type of:

   cheat, chisel

   engage in deceitful behavior; practice trickery or fraud
5. verb

   prove false
   “Falsify a claim”

   type of:

   confute, disprove

   prove to be false