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misplay

American  
[mis-pley, mis-pley, mis-pley] / mɪsˈpleɪ, ˈmɪsˌpleɪ, mɪsˈpleɪ /

noun

  1. a wrong or bad play.

  2. a play prohibited by the rules.

verb (used with object)

  1. to make an error or incorrect play on or with; play wrongly.

    The catcher misplayed the ball, allowing the base runner to score.

  2. to make a play on or with (a card, chess piece, etc.) prohibited by the rules.

misplay British  
/ ˌmɪsˈpleɪ /

verb

  1. (tr) to play badly or wrongly in games or sports

    the batsman misplayed the ball
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a wrong or unskilful play

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of misplay

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; mis- 1 + play

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.

“As soon as I saw the center fielder misplay it a little bit, I just thought about scoring that tying run,” Pages said in Spanish.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2024

It wasn’t the only misplay of a night that started off promising for the Angels.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 15, 2023

Johansson poked in a loose puck at the goal mouth after a misplay by Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba.

From Washington Post • Dec. 27, 2022

Jarren Duran and the Red Sox will try to shake off what happened at Fenway Park, where Toronto went on a run rampage that included an inside-the-park grand slam thanks to Duran’s misplay and negligence.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 22, 2022

"Have you been in Deep Harbor long?" she asked me just as I made an atrocious misplay.

From I Walked in Arden by Crawford, Jack

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.