bend the truth
Distort the reality
To bend the truth is to distort facts without outright lying—exaggerating, omitting key details, or presenting things in a misleading way: He didn't exactly lie, but he bent the truth to make himself look better.
The image suggests truth as something straight that can be curved to serve one's purposes while still technically resembling its original shape.
- lieDeliberate falsehood
- misrepresentDepict inaccurately or falsely
- exaggerateOverstate beyond truth
- little white lieMinor harmless falsehood
- white lieHarmless minor falsehood
spin · falsify · deception · distort · tell tales · equivocation · omission · deceive · pull the wool over · embellishment · mislead · falsehood · euphemism · gloss over · misinformation · implication · framing · diplomacy
bend the truthtell the truth
Communicate facts honestly
be honest · speak the truth · tell it like it is · speak plainly · lay it on the line
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