verb
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to give false or misleading information to
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to lead or guide in the wrong direction
Other Word Forms
- misleader noun
- unmisled adjective
Etymology
Origin of mislead
before 1050; Middle English misleden, Old English mislǣdan. See mis- 1, lead 1
Explanation
Use the verb mislead to describe what you're doing when you don't tell the whole truth, or when you let someone believe something false. You mislead someone when you point them in the wrong direction, literally or metaphorically. If you let your cousin think an expensive gift is from you when you actually just sent her a card, you are misleading her. And if you give a tourist directions away from the chain restaurant he's looking for, you are misleading him. Finally, if you think this doesn't really count as lying, you're misleading yourself.
Vocabulary lists containing mislead
Fake It 'Til You Make It: Synonyms for "False"
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mis-
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: mis-
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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.
Antitrust officials said the way providers in the program are presented on the company’s platform, combined with claims by Booking.com highlighting their quality, might mislead users into booking more expensive accommodation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
Among its claims, the county alleged the oil companies engaged in a conspiracy to mislead the public and violated consumer protection rules by mischaracterizing the dangers of their products.
From Salon • Apr. 10, 2026
He added that that U.S. used subterfuge to mislead the Iranians who were searching for the downed aviator.
From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026
For example, photos included in the indictment show the use of a hair dryer to move serial numbers to boxes of nonworking, replicated dummy servers in an attempt to mislead the U.S.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 21, 2026
But Dewey, and some of the other investigators, seemed not to credit his story, and behaved as though it were a tale he’d invented to mislead them.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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.
