mismatch
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mismatchsimple
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mismatchessimple
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have mismatchedperfect
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has mismatchedperfect
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am mismatchingprogressive
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are mismatchingprogressive
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is mismatchingprogressive
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have been mismatchingperfect progressive
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has been mismatchingperfect progressive
Past
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mismatchedsimple
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had mismatchedperfect
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was mismatchingprogressive
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were mismatchingprogressive
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had been mismatchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mismatch
Explanation
When two things (or people) don't work well together or correspond with each other, it's a mismatch. If there's a mismatch between the amount of free time you have and the hours of exercise your puppy needs, you might want to hire a dog walker. There might be a mismatch between workers' skills and the actual jobs that are available, or a mismatch between your aunt and uncle, who seem totally unsuited for each other. Mismatch is also a verb that means "match up badly," like when you mismatch your red shirt with your purple pants. Sometimes sports matches or games are called mismatches too, when one team is clearly superior to the other.
Vocabulary lists containing mismatch
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:
But when the Americans met a top-10 team in Belgium, the matchup proved a mismatch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
It could be the biggest mismatch the World Cup has ever seen.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
“The bottom line is that a mismatch between current earnings expectations and the actual time firms need to generate ROI on AI investments could have significant implications for many AI company valuations today.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
The mismatch between theory and observation remains one of the most perplexing problems in modern physics.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026
The growing spatial mismatch of jobs had a profound impact on African Americans trapped in ghettos.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Semiconductor stocks have historically been cyclical, experiencing boom-and-bust phases from supply-demand mismatches.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 29, 2026
Asian countries are limited in how much U.S. energy they can process by infrastructure mismatches.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
“We were in the flow, the ball was moving and we got mismatches that we like,” Musselman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2026
British heavyweight Anthony Joshua needed six rounds to stop boxing novice Jake Paul, who spent much of the contest in survival mode in one of the most striking mismatches in the sport's history.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2025
The economy, caught between two systems, is suffering from even greater mismatches between what is being produced and what would serve the best interests of enterprises and households.
From The 1991 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
The challenge became even more difficult when matching and mismatched color words appeared together in the same list.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
Many shared screenshots that appeared to show mismatched answer sheets and incorrect marking.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Even setting aside Max’s typically snide reaction to Becky’s attire—“You look like . . . a birthday cake”—this pair seems spectacularly mismatched.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
“The visual graphic, which was widely circulated online, was mismatched with the table of results, thus implicating both of our formulas,” Bauer said.
From Salon ● Mar. 20, 2026
It’s like I can’t help but be acutely aware of the stains on the carpet and my mismatched bedding.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
Retro-themed decor is in, with trees jam-packed full of bold, mismatching decorations, as more people try to recreate a festive season from their childhood.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2025
"We find that user engagement increases when the national headquarters lead the production of content and the local accounts follow either by tweeting to a matching or mismatching audience, depending on timing in the operation."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2023
Flowers that bloom in early balmy weather run the risk of mismatching with their primary pollinators—such as hummingbirds or bees—which can follow non-climate-dependent cues such as day length.
From Scientific American ● Mar. 22, 2023
“The mismatching of financial market pricing and economic reality is both stark and stretched,” Bennett said.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 6, 2023
But if it should turn out that there is a mismatching, of the nature just described, the conditions can be adjusted if the right means are used.
From Sane Sex Life and Sane Sex Living Some Things That All Sane People Ought to Know About Sex Nature and Sex Functioning; Its Place in the Economy of Life, Its Proper Training and Righteous Exercise by Long, H. W. (Harland William)
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.
