mistake

1 of 2

verb

mis·​take mə-ˈstāk How to pronounce mistake (audio)
mistook mə-ˈstu̇k How to pronounce mistake (audio) ; mistaken mə-ˈstā-kən How to pronounce mistake (audio) ; mistaking

transitive verb

1
: to blunder in the choice of
mistook her way in the dark
2
a
: to misunderstand the meaning or intention of : misinterpret
don't mistake me, I mean exactly what I said
b
: to make a wrong judgment of the character or ability of
The army's leaders mistook the strength of the enemy.
3
: to identify wrongly : confuse with another
I mistook him for his brother

intransitive verb

: to be wrong
you mistook when you thought I laughed at youThomas Hardy
mistakenly adverb
mistaker noun

mistake

2 of 2

noun

1
: a wrong judgment : misunderstanding
2
: a wrong action or statement proceeding from faulty judgment, inadequate knowledge, or inattention
Choose the Right Synonym for mistake

error, mistake, blunder, slip, lapse mean a departure from what is true, right, or proper.

error suggests the existence of a standard or guide and a straying from the right course through failure to make effective use of this.

procedural errors

mistake implies misconception or inadvertence and usually expresses less criticism than error.

dialed the wrong number by mistake

blunder regularly imputes stupidity or ignorance as a cause and connotes some degree of blame.

diplomatic blunders

slip stresses inadvertence or accident and applies especially to trivial but embarrassing mistakes.

a slip of the tongue

lapse stresses forgetfulness, weakness, or inattention as a cause.

a lapse in judgment

Examples of mistake in a Sentence

Verb the auctioneer mistook my nod for a bid, and I ended up buying a painting I don't even like you seriously mistake me if you think I scare so easily Noun It would be a mistake to assume that we can rely on their help. There must be some mistake. The manuscript contains numerous spelling mistakes. There's a mistake in the schedule. “When does the movie start?” “At 8:00. No, wait—my mistake—it starts at 8:30.”
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Don’t mistake them for suspects, Probart cautioned the C.H.P. detectives. Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 When Aren is instructed by his dealer to court a collector, the White arts patron mistakes our mixed-race hero for a caterer and hands him his empty wine glass. Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 She’s clearly lost, mistaking Sammy for her late husband at first. Stephen Saito, Variety, 12 Mar. 2024 No, Steve, there’s no mistaking the weakness of the California GOP. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The Better Business Bureau frequently hears from consumers who mistake booking sites for hotels themselves, often because of the platforms’ advertising tactics, spokesperson Melanie McGovern said. Vicky Nguyen, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024 One of them was a neighbor holding an object police mistook for a weapon. Andrew Ford, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 The software mistook this for two peace signs, triggering virtual confetti to cascade down on him. David Phelan, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 He’d been mistaken for Harry Styles at a bar in rural Ireland. Hazlitt, 28 Feb. 2024
Noun
Some of the noticeable mistakes found in the March 10 photo included Princess Charlotte's hair being oddly cut off, indents and distortions and Princess Kate's hair appearing to be airbrushed. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 Find a comfortable refuge at Island View Cottages, then spend a few days exploring town and the surrounding beauty. 05 of 10 Venice This Florida Gulf Coast town's name is no mistake. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 18 Mar. 2024 In the 1990s, the FAA began to reorient its safety programs around the idea that anyone in aviation—manufacturers, manufacturing line workers, air traffic controllers, pilots, crew members, maintenance people—should be able to report on their own mistakes without facing career-ending repercussions. Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2024 The game originally shipped for consoles and Windows PCs — and was briefly banned from some storefronts over a ratings mistake. Sean Hollister, The Verge, 15 Mar. 2024 In the next few months, the Biden campaign and its allies plan to spend close to a billion dollars attempting to persuade Americans not to make the historic mistake of electing Trump twice. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024 In some cases, years passed before the government discovered its mistake and then imposed debts that sometimes have reached tens of thousands of dollars on people who cannot afford to pay. Fred Clasen-Kelly, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024 Some experts on Ohio ethics rules and one of Alicia Reece's fellow Democrats on the board say her failure to disclose her father's connection to the center was a mistake. The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2024 The prosecutors pointed out there was no evidence of a verdict mistake, internal or external pressure on the jury, or racist attitudes toward the defendant. Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mistake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mistake was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near mistake

Cite this Entry

“Mistake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mistake. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mistake

1 of 2 verb
mis·​take mə-ˈstāk How to pronounce mistake (audio)
mistook -ˈstu̇k How to pronounce mistake (audio) ; mistaken -ˈstā-kən How to pronounce mistake (audio) ; mistaking
1
: to understand wrongly : misinterpret
mistook my meaning
2
: to estimate incorrectly
mistook the strength of the enemy
3
: to identify wrongly
mistook me for her
mistakenly adverb

mistake

2 of 2 noun
1
: a wrong judgment : misunderstanding
2
: a wrong action or statement

Legal Definition

mistake

noun
mis·​take
1
: an unintentional error especially in legal procedure or form that does not indicate bad faith and that commonly warrants excuse or relief by the court
the court's power to revise a judgment because of fraud, mistake, or irregularity
a clerical mistake
2
: an erroneous belief: as
a
: a state of mind that is not in accordance with the facts existing at the time a contract is made and that may be a ground for the rescission or reformation of the contract
b
: a misconception at the time of an offense alleged by a defendant
mistake of fact
: a mistake regarding a fact or facts especially that significantly affects the performance of a contract
: a criminal defense that attempts to eliminate culpability on the ground that the defendant operated from an unintentional misunderstanding of fact rather than from a criminal purpose
mistake of law
: a mistake involving the misunderstanding or incorrect application of law in regard to an act, contract, transaction, determination, or state of affairs
also : a criminal defense alleging such a mistake

Note: In both contract and criminal law a mistake of law is a weaker ground for relief or acquittal than a mistake of fact.

mutual mistake
: a mistake common to both parties to a contract who were in agreement about the purpose or terms of the contract reformed the contract because of a mutual mistake
unilateral mistake
: a mistake on the part of one party to a contract that is usually not a ground for rescission or reformation unless one party stands to profit or benefit improperly from the mistake

More from Merriam-Webster on mistake

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