Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To give an incorrect or misleading representation of.
  • transitive verb To serve incorrectly or dishonestly as an official representative of.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To represent erroneously or falsely; give a false or incorrect account or representation of, whether intentionally or not.
  • To fail to represent correctly or in good faith as agent or official representative; act contrary to the wishes or interests of, as of one's principal or constituents, in the transaction of business, legislation, etc.
  • To convey a false impression.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To represent incorrectly (almost always, unfavorably); to give a false or erroneous representation of, either maliciously, ignorantly, or carelessly.
  • intransitive verb To make an incorrect or untrue representation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To represent falsely; to inaccurately portray something.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb tamper, with the purpose of deception
  • verb represent falsely

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

mis- +‎ represent

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Examples

  • CNN: Obama warns anyone who would 'misrepresent' plan

    POLITICAL HOT TOPICS: September 10, 2009 2009

  • Excellent by Michael Collins on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 11: 02: 44 PM how did Obama "misrepresent" his position? by Cindy Sheehan on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 11: 35: 52 AM

    Obama's Hardest Thing 2009

  • As dictionary. com notes under the definition of 'misrepresent':

    Dawkins Misrepresents Konner 2006

  • What Ralph says he's gotten out of the lesson is that "this is what happens to suckers who think they can beat the devil"; Faust's mistake had been to "misrepresent" his side of the deal to Neron, and the suggestion of the story is that if you're going to do magic you'd better stick to the precise letter and spirit of your deal.

    Archive 2007-02-01 Douglas Wolk 2007

  • What Ralph says he's gotten out of the lesson is that "this is what happens to suckers who think they can beat the devil"; Faust's mistake had been to "misrepresent" his side of the deal to Neron, and the suggestion of the story is that if you're going to do magic you'd better stick to the precise letter and spirit of your deal.

    Week 41: Look to the Goblet, Ralph Douglas Wolk 2007

  • This will offer some examples of the kinds of changes and edits that I consider to be legitimate but which do "misrepresent," in the narrowest sense, the original conversation.

    Archive 2006-10-01 Jeremiah McNichols 2006

  • This will offer some examples of the kinds of changes and edits that I consider to be legitimate but which do "misrepresent," in the narrowest sense, the original conversation.

    How Do Phone and Email Interviewing Measure Up Against Google Talk? They Don't. Jeremiah McNichols 2006

  • Mr. Yarmolinsky says that Robert Kennedy "did not 'misrepresent' Senator Keating's record, but exposed the inconsistent and often illiberal character of that record."

    R.F.K. Yarmolinsky, Adam 1968

  • But there are other lies of a more serious character and of more dangerous import -- all such as misrepresent Germany's attitude and defame

    New York Times Current History: The European War from the Beginning to March 1915, Vol 1, No. 2 Who Began the War, and Why? Various

  • The problem, Ms. Terkel, is that you deliberately took O'reilly's broadcast out of context to represent (or I should say, "misrepresent") him negatively.

    Think Progress 2009

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