mislead

[mis-leed]

verb (used with object)

misled, misleading 

1. to lead or guide wrongly; lead astray.

   Synonyms: misdirect, misguide

2. to lead into error of conduct, thought, or judgment.

   Synonyms: deceive, delude

verb (used without object)

misled, misleading 

1. to be misleading; tend to deceive.

   vague directions that often mislead.

mislead

/ mɪsˈliːd /

verb

1. to give false or misleading information to

2. to lead or guide in the wrong direction

Other Word Forms

• misleader noun
• unmisled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mislead¹

before 1050; Middle English misleden, Old English mislǣdan. See mis- ¹, lead ¹

Example Sentences

He added that EasyJet's net zero pathway graph was "quite misleading".

Read more on BBC

“At a minimum, Mr. Bisignano appears to have failed to manage Fiserv effectively, and may have misled investors and the public about the company’s financial status.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The employees allegedly misled an official about an automated cockpit feature, hoping to reduce how much training airline pilots would need to fly the plane.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith suggested he may have misled the Commons.

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Supernal retaliated against Cooper when she raised alarms about misleading investors, the lawsuit said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• betray 
• cheat 
• deceive 
• defraud 
• delude 
• dupe 
• entice 
• fool 
• fudge 
• hoodwink 
• lie 
• misguide 
• misinform 
• misrepresent 
• tempt