misspeak
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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to speak, utter, or pronounce incorrectly.
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to speak inaccurately, inappropriately, or too hastily.
Etymology
Origin of misspeak
1150–1200; Middle English misspeken; see mis- 1, speak; compare Old English missprecan to murmur
Explanation
To misspeak is to say something the wrong way. You can misspeak by pronouncing someone's name incorrectly, or misspeak by saying something that accidentally offends them. Sometimes when politicians are called out on controversial things they say, they claim to misspeak. Saying that you misspeak implies that a mere slip of the tongue kept you from saying the right thing, and allows you to set the record straight. In the fourteenth century, to misspeak was both "to say amiss," and also "to speak insultingly," from the Old English missprecan, "to grumble."
Vocabulary lists containing misspeak
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:
John Wihbey, a journalism professor at Northeastern University who has studied presidential communication, said Mr. Biden’s team overreacts to fears that he may misspeak.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 25, 2023
“That includes speaking out forcefully against inappropriate statements and even correcting our own statements when we misspeak or when our words are taken out of context,” he posted.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 5, 2023
McDermott didn’t simply misspeak in a fit of frustration.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 11, 2021
"If he doesn't correct it, I guess he didn't misspeak."
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2020
A man can live a long and adventurous life without ever being spoken to by Lacey Pemberton, and when that rare opportunity does arise, one does not wish to misspeak.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
But representatives of the art form have a duty to swallow their fear of misspeaking.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026
The reaction was over the top, a case of Miller slightly misspeaking, when actually showing confidence and ambition in the unforgiving world of football is nothing to be ashamed of.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2025
“Mistaking someone or misspeaking doesn’t mean you have dementia,” said Dr. Zaldy S. Tan, director of the Cedars-Sinai Memory and Healthy Aging Program.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2024
The king, who suffers from dyslexia, was often ridiculed in the early years of his reign for misspeaking during speeches.
From Reuters ● Sep. 15, 2023
They also played an audio blooper reel of Chris Lohner, who has been the official voice of Austrian train announcements for decades, misspeaking station names and instructions.
From New York Times ● May 16, 2023
“Although, it’s worth correcting—I think Mr. Readdy misspoke when he said it was competitive. It was, in fact, not competitive.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Perhaps Oz just misspoke; it’s certainly not uncommon for people to substitute “billions” for “millions” in quotidian speech.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025
"He never actually saw combat, and the campaign’s said he misspoke," Oliver explained.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2024
In a speech that lasted only six minutes, he misspoke at least 11 times.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2024
"I wasn't trying to be rude. I was just saying... Ignore me. I'm having a bad day.... I misspoke."
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
The White House did not immediately respond when asked by AFP if Trump had misspoken and had intended to refer to Iran rather than Oman.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
Others of his kind fail to go the distance because of a detail misspoken or a slip of the mask.
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2026
The Minnesota governor clarified that he had misspoken, saying he was influenced by the events because he had arrived in China that summer.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2024
But during trial this week, she walked that back, saying that she’d misspoken and that she meant to say all the information she’d received was only unconfirmed allegations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
He must have misspoken and said create instead of test.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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.
