Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

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.

See Examples For:

“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

Devils coach Lindy Ruff said Blackwood’s ability to make several key saves after his misplay was important in helping New Jersey push the game to overtime.

From Seattle Times Jan. 1, 2023

Pressure from Wales built, the U.S. crowd groaning with each misplay by the Americans.

From Washington Post Nov. 21, 2022

As it was, Yerkes scored on the misplay and that run lost the game for the Giants.

From Spalding's Official Baseball Guide - 1913 by

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training