False means not true or not correct. When something is false, it doesn't match reality or the facts. If your friend says “dinosaurs and humans lived at the same time,” that statement is false because dinosaurs went extinct millions of years before humans appeared. When you take a true/false quiz, you mark statements as false when they contain errors or misrepresent the facts.

False can also describe something fake or artificial, made to look like the real thing. A spy might use a false name, or a theater set might have a false wall that's actually just painted canvas. Some old buildings have false fronts that make them look larger or fancier than they really are.

The word carries a sense of deception or incorrectness. A false friend is someone who pretends to care about you but doesn't really. A false alarm happens when a fire alarm goes off but there's no actual fire. When something rings false, it feels wrong or dishonest, like when someone's apology doesn't sound sincere.

Notice how different false is from simply being mistaken. If you believe something false, you might just be misinformed. But saying something false when you know the truth makes it a lie.