كَذَبَ deny in Arabic
كَذَبَ is how you say “deny” in Arabic.
Root ك ذ ب k-dh-b. verb (form I). kadhaba.
Arabic
English
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Meaning of deny in Arabic
- to lie, speak falsely the core sense, covering a deliberate lie as well as an honest, unintentional error
- to deny, declare untrue e.g. 'mā kadhaba l-fuʾādu mā raʾā' — the mind did not deny what it saw (Qur'an 53:11)
- to prove false, fail to come true said of a hope, a dream, or lightning that promises rain but gives none
Example sentence
قد كنا يا رسول الله نكذبك بما تأتينا به من خبر السماء،
We used to deny you, O Messenger of Allah, concerning what you brought us from the news of the heavens,
نُكَذِّبُكَ we deny you
Present-tense verb 'call a liar, deny', 'we' form (the 'nu-' = we); the ending '-ka' adds 'you' — 'we used to deny you'.
The English is machine-translated.

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How it is used
Common in the Qur'an, including of hopes, dreams, and omens that turn out false, not just human speech. Also used figuratively of the eye or judgment 'lying', i.e. deceiving someone.
Words from the same root
- كِذْب lying, falsehood
- كَاذِب a liar; one who lies
- كَذَّاب a habitual, inveterate liar
- الكَذُوب the soul, for how it raises false hopes
- مَكْذُوب something falsely said, a fabrication
More example sentences
كَذَبَت عادُ فكيفَ كانَ عَذابِي وَنُذُرِ
'Aad denied, so how was My punishment and My warnings?
كَذَبَتْ it denied
A past-tense verb with a built-in feminine-singular 'it/she' subject, agreeing with the tribe-name that follows, which Arabic treats as feminine. The internal subject means no separate pronoun is written, and the feminine ending ties the denying to that named people.
محدث يكذب في حديثه ، ويختلق الفشارات ،
A narrator lies in his narration and fabricates falsehoods,
يَكْذِبُ he lies
This is a present-tense verb, 'he lies', with its subject built in, describing the narrator. The whole clause works like an adjective attached to the indefinite noun before it; the doer is carried within the verb's form.
قَالَ أَمَّا إِنَّهُ قَدْ كَذَبَكَ وَسَيَعُودُ
He said, "As for him, he has indeed lied to you and he will return."
كَذَبَكَ lied to you
A past-tense verb with its 'he' subject built in and an attached 'you' pronoun as the one lied to. This verb takes its target directly, with no linking preposition, so 'lied to you' is one word holding act, doer, and the person deceived.
كَذَبْتَ وَاللَّهِ يَا عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ،
By God, you have lied, O enemy of God.
كَذَبْتَ you have lied
A past verb with a '-ta' tail fixing the doer as a single male 'you'; the addressee-subject is built into the verb. It hurls a completed 'you have lied' straight at the listener.
فَقَالَ كَذَبَ سَعْدٌ، وَلَكِنْ هَذَا يَوْمٌ يُعَظِّمُ اللَّهُ فِيهِ الْكَعْبَةَ،
He said, "Sa'd lied; but this is a day on which God magnifies the Kaaba."
كَذَبَ he lied
A past-tense verb 'he lied / spoke falsely', its doer named next. It is the blunt main statement of the reply, with the subject 'Sa'd' following in the regular verb-then-subject order.
فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَذَبَ مَنْ قَالَهُ،
So the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever said that lied."
كَذَبَ he lied
A plain past verb stating the main point of the Prophet's reply: someone lied. It carries its subject from the 'whoever' clause that follows, and stands as the predicate the quotation drives at.
وَكَذَبَ فِيمَا ادَّعَاهُ،
And he lied about what he claimed.
وَكَذِبٌ and he lied
This joins a linking 'and' to a past verb 'lied' carrying its own 'he' subject. The 'and' chains the action on, and the verb states the falsehood as a completed past act.
وَيْلًا لِلَّذِي يُحَدِّثُ النَّاسَ فَيَكْذِبُ لِيَضْحَكَ النَّاسُ
Woe to the one who tells people things and lies to make them laugh.
فَيَكْذِبُ and lies
Front fa- chains this onto the prior verb with a 'and so / consequently' sense; the rest is a present-tense verb with its 'he' subject built in. The fa- ties the lying to the telling as its next step, 'and then lies'.
فيقول لهم إن ربي غضب اليوم غضباً لم يغضب قبله مثله، ولن يغضب بعده مثله، وإني كنت كذبت ثلاث كذبات، نفسي نفسي نفسي، اذهبوا إلى غيري،
He will say to them: "My Lord has become angry today with an anger like none before or after. Indeed, I told three lies. Myself, myself, myself! Go to someone else."
كَذَبْتُ told lies
A past verb with the '-tu' ending naming 'I' as the doer; it slots after the 'I was' helper to form a layered past, the speaker's admission of having lied. The doer is marked by the ending, not a separate word.
أعلم أن من استخف بالقرآن أو المصحف أو بشئ منه أو سبهما أو جحد حرفا منه أو كذب بشئ مما صرح به
He knew that whoever belittled the Qur'an or the mus'haf, or any part of it, or insulted both of them, or denied a letter of it, or lied about what it clearly states.
كَذَبَ he lied
A past-tense verb 'lied' continuing the list, its 'he' doer built in. It names the offence of asserting falsehood about the text. Like its siblings it waits on the shared verdict later in the passage.
قال قاتلت فيك حتى اسُتشهدت، قال كذبت، ولكنك قاتلت لأن يقال جريء، فقد قيل، ثم أمر به، فسحب على وجهه حتى ألقي في النار
He will say: 'I fought for You until I was martyred.' He will say: 'You lie. You fought so that it would be said you are brave; and so it was said.' Then it will be commanded that he be dragged on his face until he is cast into the Fire.
كَذَبْتَ You lie
This is a past-tense verb with 'you' in the ending, 'you lied', addressed straight to the man. It is God's flat rebuttal, setting his claim in completed past time as a falsehood before the true motive is exposed.
قال تعلمت العلم وعلمته وقرأت فيك القرآن قال كذبت، ولكنك تعلمت ليقال عالم وقرأت القرآن ليقال هو قارئ،
He said, "I learned the knowledge, I taught it, and I recited the Quran in your presence." He said, "You lied. Rather, you learned so that people would call you a scholar, and you recited the Quran so that they would say he is a reciter."
كَذَبْتَ you lied
This is a past-tense verb with 'you' in the ending, 'you lied', addressed straight to the man. It is God's flat rebuttal, setting the claim in completed past time as false before the real motive is named.
Common questions
- How do you say "deny" in Arabic?
- كَذَبَ (kadhaba).
- Does كَذَبَ always mean a deliberate lie?
- No — it also covers an unintentional false statement, a mistaken judgment, or a hope that simply fails to come true.
Related words
Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).