falsehood
noun
false·hood
ˈfȯls-ˌhu̇d 
1
: an untrue statement : lie
spreading falsehoods about his opponent
2
: absence of truth or accuracy
The falsehood of this narrative made it no less effective.—
Peniel E. Joseph
3
: the practice of lying : mendacity
… Thomas Jefferson … accused the press of engaging in "falsehood and defamation" while covering his administration.—Albert R. Hunt
Examples of falsehood in a Sentence
the line between truth and falsehood
the possibility of a perpetual motion machine is one falsehood that has been disproved by modern physics
Recent Examples on the Web
Powell and Giuliani settled lawsuits with Dominion over election falsehoods.
—Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2026
Fairness can’t be built on falsehoods.
—Alanna Smith, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2026
Those bogus images and videos spread not just on X, but also along other superhighways of falsehoods, notably the Meta platforms Instagram, Facebook and Threads, albeit with less engagement.
—James Warren, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
Brigitte and her husband, French President Emmanuel Macron, have long faced such falsehoods, including allegations that she was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux — the actual name of her older brother.
—Reuters, NBC news, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for falsehood
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Cite this Entry
“Falsehood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/falsehood. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
Kids Definition
falsehood
noun
false·hood
ˈfȯls-ˌhu̇d
1
: an untrue statement : lie
2
: the habit of lying
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