false friend UK /ˌfɒls ˈfɹɛnd/US /ˌfɔls ˈfɹɛnd/ noun1 •A word in a language that bears a deceptive resemblance to a word in another language but in fact has a different meaning.A word and its false friend may well be etymologically related: in such cases semantic shifts have made them drift apart. formsfalse friends