falsify

/ˈfɔːlsɪfaɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfɔːlsɪfaɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfȯl-sə-ˌfī/ (ame, mw)

falsify — verb

  • falsifypresent simple I / you / we / they
  • falsifieshe / she / it
  • falsifiedpast simple
  • falsifying-ing form

1. to deliberately change a document, record, or piece of data in order to deceive

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to deliberately change a document, record, or piece of data in order to deceive others — for example, altering financial accounts to hide losses, or changing dates on a legal contract to gain an advantage.

例句

The company's chief accountant was arrested for falsifying quarterly earnings reports.

passive: be arrested for falsifying [documents]

Customs officials discovered that the shipping company had falsified the cargo manifest.

falsify + document type (cargo manifest)

同義詞
  • forge

    more specific — refers to creating a fraudulent copy of a signature, document, or banknote, not just altering an existing one

  • fabricate

    can mean inventing something entirely false (e.g., fabricating a story) rather than altering something real

  • tamper with

    less formal; suggests interfering with something to damage or alter it, not necessarily with fraudulent intent

反義詞
  • verify

    to confirm that something is true, accurate, or genuine — the opposite of falsifying a record

  • authenticate

    to prove that something is real or genuine

文法句型

falsify + noun phrase (document/record/data)

用法筆記

Commonly used in legal, financial, and journalistic contexts. The object is typically a formal record (documents, accounts, data, signatures). Frequently appears in passive constructions: 'The records were falsified.'

常見錯誤

❌The student falsified on the final exam.
✅The student cheated on the final exam.
💡'falsify' is transitive and requires an object; it means to alter something dishonestly, not to cheat in general.
❌He falsified a lie to his boss.
✅He told a lie to his boss.' or 'He falsified the sales figures to his boss.
💡'falsify' refers to tampering with records or data, not simply telling an untruth.

2. to prove that a theory, hypothesis, or statement is not true — used especially i

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

to prove that a theory, hypothesis, or statement is not true — used especially in academic and scientific contexts where a claim is tested and shown to be incorrect.

例句

The research team designed an experiment specifically to falsify their own hypothesis.

falsify + hypothesis in scientific method

Popper argued that scientists should actively try to falsify their own theories.

verb: try to falsify [one's own theories]

同義詞
  • disprove

    more common in everyday English; less formal, broader application

  • refute

    suggests proving something wrong through argument or evidence, often in debate

  • debunk

    informal; refers to exposing a belief, myth, or idea as false, often in a popular context

反義詞
  • verify

    to confirm that a claim or theory is true

  • confirm

    to establish the truth or correctness of a hypothesis through evidence

  • validate

    to check or prove that something is sound or acceptable

文法句型

falsify + noun phrase (hypothesis/theory/claim/assumption)

用法筆記

Primarily found in academic and scientific writing, especially in philosophy of science (Popperian falsificationism). In everyday language, 'disprove' or 'refute' are more common alternatives. Do not confuse with sense 1 (fraudulent alteration).

常見錯誤

❌The police falsified the suspect's alibi.
✅The police disproved / discredited the suspect's alibi.
💡In sense 2, 'falsify' means to prove something false through evidence, not to claim someone is lying. The term is rarely used in non-academic contexts.