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mistime

American  
[mis-tahym] / mɪsˈtaɪm /

verb (used with object)

  • mistimes,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • mistimed,
    past participle,  past
  • mistiming
    present participle
  1. to time badly; perform, say, propose, etc., at a bad or inappropriate time.


mistime British  
/ ˌmɪsˈtaɪm /

verb

  1. (tr) to time (an action, utterance, etc) wrongly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future


Etymology

Origin of mistime

before 1000; Middle English mistimen, Old English mistīmian. See mis- 1, time


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Forcing the striker to mistime his control of the ball is not an offence and referee John Brooks called it absolutely right.

From BBC ● May 8, 2023

With two on and two down in the sixth, catcher Jacob Stallings poked a soft, 79-mph liner toward Escobar, who seemed to mistime his jump and couldn’t haul it in.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 26, 2022

So I now in retrospect describe that as a brilliant strategy: fail at playing the tape, mistime it before lunch, and build the dramatic interest into what happened.

From MSNBC ● Jun. 19, 2019

"Stand and cheer as Joakim Noah sits the bench for $19 million! Come see Ron Baker mistime dives for loose balls! Watch Spike Lee wait intently for his nightly spot on the JumboTron!"

From Golf Digest ● Apr. 19, 2018

Now that I see how unwieldy and overpowered his swing is, I have zero doubt he’ll mistime it and swing too soon.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone

Dan Mousley mistimes a leg glance to a straightening ball from Joe Leach and lobs a gentle catch up to Pears captain Brett D'Oliveira at mid wicket.

From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2024

A talking to for Katie McCabe as she mistimes her tackle on Jessica Naz.

From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2024

Daryl Mitchell tries to fool the crowd into thinking he's caught Ollie Pope, but then mistimes his 'celebration' and allows England to nick a single during day three of the second Test at Trent Bridge.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2022

Next a spell of fine interplay up the right flank ending when Juanfran’s cross into the area for a just-late Torres is sent high over the crossbar when the Spaniard mistimes his half-volley.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 24, 2016

Inattentive to all the regards of social life, he mistimes and misplaces every thing.

From Dr. Johnson's Works: Life, Poems, and Tales, Volume 1 The Works of Samuel Johnson, Ll.D., in Nine Volumes by Samuel Johnson

Wright mistimed his jump, and the ball hit Lambert-Smith square in the hands before falling to the turf.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Billionaire Mat Ishbia was in trouble after a failed takeover and mistimed bets on interest rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

But some whistleblowers are sceptical - they feel the bid is mistimed and could mean the organisation is overstretched.

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026

Wagner: My biggest recurring mistake was revenge trading — getting stopped out of a trade, then jumping back in hours later, convinced I’d just mistimed the entry, only to get stopped out again.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 28, 2026

It was destined for an interception, but the El Paso defensive back mistimed.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Countless investors bear the scars from mistiming the cycle.

From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026

The company reported lower profit and said that prior missteps, including the mistiming of its increase in Caribbean capacity, would hurt its 2026 performance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026

That’s because the slightest mistiming of a button press will make you fall to your death or open you to attack.

From New York Times ● Apr. 13, 2022

She exited the contest in January 2014 after twice mistiming her back somersault from the 7.5m board but earned praise from Tom Daley and the other judges for her have-a-go attitude.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2017

As it was, the better part of the roof caved in, the result of slight mistiming on the part of the squirrel.

From "Wee Tim'rous Beasties" Studies of Animal life and Character by Douglas English

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