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 company will also be banned from misrepresenting loot box odds, prices, and features, and will need to allow users to buy them with money instead of in-game virtual currency. —Will McCurdy, PCMAG, 18 Jan. 2025

Blake Lively was either severely misled by her team or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth. —Jack Smart, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025

Their applications misrepresented employee totals and payroll expenses, according to those records. —Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 8 Jan. 2025

Donald Trump's legal team skipped a key step in blocking his upcoming sentencing in New York, misrepresenting its efforts to appeal the hearing that is scheduled to take place 10 days before his inauguration. —Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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