Misrepresentation

Dictionary Definition

n. the crime of misstating facts to obtain money, goods or benefits of another to which the accused is not entitled. Examples: a person a) falsely claims to represent a charity to obtain a donation which he/she keeps; b) says a painting is a genuine Jackson Pollock when it is a fake and thus is able to sell it for a price much greater than its true value. Misrepresentation is also called “false pretenses.

1. Erroneous or false representation; an unfair or dishonest account or exposition; a false statement: as, to injure one’s character by misrepresentations.
2. Incorrect or unfaithful representation in the capacity of agent or official representative, as of a principal in a matter of business, or of constituents in legislation.
3. In map-making, faultiness in a map-projection, estimated with regard to its unequal scale in different parts and to its distortion of angles.