mismatch
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mismatchsimple
-
mismatchessimple
-
have mismatchedperfect
-
has mismatchedperfect
-
am mismatchingprogressive
-
are mismatchingprogressive
-
is mismatchingprogressive
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have been mismatchingperfect progressive
-
has been mismatchingperfect progressive
Past
-
mismatchedsimple
-
had mismatchedperfect
-
was mismatchingprogressive
-
were mismatchingprogressive
-
had been mismatchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mismatch
Explanation
When two things (or people) don't work well together or correspond with each other, it's a mismatch. If there's a mismatch between the amount of free time you have and the hours of exercise your puppy needs, you might want to hire a dog walker. There might be a mismatch between workers' skills and the actual jobs that are available, or a mismatch between your aunt and uncle, who seem totally unsuited for each other. Mismatch is also a verb that means "match up badly," like when you mismatch your red shirt with your purple pants. Sometimes sports matches or games are called mismatches too, when one team is clearly superior to the other.
Vocabulary lists containing mismatch
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.
Our vulnerability to robots comes in part from the mismatch between what we expect a person or pet to be capable of, and what AI-enabled robots can actually do.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
That was an unusual mismatch in daily changes for the indexes.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
If that’s true, I have not heard him or a supporter address what would appear to be a treatment mismatch for the others, as well as a potential civil liberties breach for all of them.
From Slate • Jun. 3, 2026
That has been a tough business lately, thanks to a mismatch between costs and the rates managed care companies are allowed to charge states.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
The growing spatial mismatch of jobs had a profound impact on African Americans trapped in ghettos.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
