misread
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
misreads,
present (3rd person singular)
-
misread,
past participle, past
-
misreading
present participle
-
to read wrongly.
-
to misunderstand or misinterpret.
verb
-
to read incorrectly
-
to misinterpret
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
misreadsimple
-
misreadssimple
-
have misreadperfect
-
has misreadperfect
-
am misreadingprogressive
-
are misreadingprogressive
-
is misreadingprogressive
-
have been misreadingperfect progressive
-
has been misreadingperfect progressive
Past
-
misreadsimple
-
had misreadperfect
-
was misreadingprogressive
-
were misreadingprogressive
-
had been misreadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of misread
Explanation
To misread something is to read it but understand it in the wrong way. If you misread an article about local politics, you might end up supporting a candidate whose views you don't actually agree with. When you interpret a book, online article, or magazine story incorrectly, you misread it. You can also misread people, when you don't understand how they feel or what they intend: "She tended to misread cranky customers at the coffee shop, thinking they were joking when they were actually angry about something." The prefix mis- means "bad" or "wrong," and read can mean both "comprehend printed matter" or "make out a person's character."
Vocabulary lists containing misread
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: mis-
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Vietnam Wars" by Tod Olson
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
If you routinely misread or ignore social cues — or tend to act impulsively — that’s a potential red flag.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Investors misread the mood music on U.S.-Canadian talks, in a big way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
A dissent by presiding Justice Alison Tucher concluded the majority misread the proposition, which she said must adhere to the state’s civil rights laws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
In response, the media giants argued that the states had misread the market and that merging would improve streaming efficiency.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
At first Luke was nervous he’d misread something—that she really didn’t want to see him wrestle.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies, said that misreads how consumers actually adopt technology.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
But that misreads how “The Late Show” crowd operates.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2025
But that misreads an endnote: As I make clear in the text, the number refers specifically to German casualties during the first three months of Operation Barbarossa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025
He misreads my face and says, “Try to remember that tennis is play! Just relax and don’t think.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2024
Sometimes, her anxiety makes her too sensitive and she misreads people.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Roblox stock declines as Wall Street believes investors could be misreading the videogame company’s business trajectory.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
But where Hwan’s Christianity is a willful, grotesque misreading of the Bible, Latif actively wrestles with his moral shortcomings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
If that were true, astronomers could have been misreading the supernova data and incorrectly concluding that cosmic expansion was speeding up when it was actually slowing.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
But that base may be fully misreading the situation.
From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2026
Then, there were indications she was misreading the actual size of the islands.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
