mishap
Americannoun
-
mishaps
plural
noun
-
an unfortunate accident
-
bad luck
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mishap
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at mis- 1, hap 1
Explanation
Don’t cry over spilled milk, it is just a minor mishap — a misfortune. If the surgeon operates on the wrong leg when you go in for knee surgery? Now, that’s a mishap to get upset about. You might assume that hap is short for happening, but it is actually an Old Norse word for "luck." So with mis ("bad") in front of it, it literally means “bad luck.” Mishaps can be accidents of great consequence or minimal consequence. People often say that an event went off “without a mishap,” meaning that it went smoothly. Hopefully this will be the case if you ever get knee surgery.
Vocabulary lists containing mishap
Power Prefix: mis-
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 3
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ACT Vocabulary List
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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:
The toppling of the Kang Kon embarrassed Kim, with at least five officials detained over the mishap.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
But the 51-year-old says she did not receive a fair trial, citing problems with evidence, the actions of the prosecution, and an unusual mishap with the jury while they deliberated on their verdicts.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The mishap also comes at an awkward moment for Kentucky’s largest school district.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
They were strong confident guys who were too cool and funny to be derailed by a cruel comment or a size-related mishap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Likewise, insurance policies with broad coverage which compensates for any mishap are apt to be cheaper in the long run than insurance for a particular disease or a particular trip.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Officials ended up having to send a formal apology to South Korea for the series of mishaps affecting that particular delegation.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
After congratulating the crew on completing thousands of combat missions with “zero casualties, zero flight mishaps, and zero working toilets,” Jost’s Hegseth offered an update on developments back home.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
But the show truly starts when it falls apart with technical mishaps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Despite parking mishaps, robotaxi companies such as Waymo and Tesla say their vehicles are statistically safer than human drivers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
After various lesser mishaps, Meg was finished at last, and by the united exertions of the entire family Jo’s hair was got up and her dress on.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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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.
