misread
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
to read wrongly.
-
to misunderstand or misinterpret.
verb
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to read incorrectly
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to misinterpret
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has misreadperfect 3rd person singular
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have misreadperfect
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has been misreadingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am misreadingprogressive 1st person singular
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is misreadingprogressive 3rd person singular
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misreadingparticiple
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misreadssingular 3rd person
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have been misreadingperfect progressive
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are misreadingprogressive
Past
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had misreadperfect
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misreadparticiple
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were misreadingprogressive plural
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was misreadingprogressive singular
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misreadsimple
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had been misreadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of misread
Explanation
To misread something is to read it but understand it in the wrong way. If you misread an article about local politics, you might end up supporting a candidate whose views you don't actually agree with. When you interpret a book, online article, or magazine story incorrectly, you misread it. You can also misread people, when you don't understand how they feel or what they intend: "She tended to misread cranky customers at the coffee shop, thinking they were joking when they were actually angry about something." The prefix mis- means "bad" or "wrong," and read can mean both "comprehend printed matter" or "make out a person's character."
Vocabulary lists containing misread
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: mis-
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"The Vietnam Wars" by Tod Olson
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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.
Human-like machines may appear familiar and trustworthy as their civilian use grows, increasing the risk people misread danger.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
In the fifth, Jung Hoo Lee hit an inside-the-park home run when Hernández misread the ball off the left-field wall in foul territory, allowing the ball to roll past him.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
With the stock well off its record levels, I misread that.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
Mr. Armitage reminds us that “Gilgamesh” is less a singular artifact than a long, fragmented transmission—spoken, inscribed, shattered, buried, misread, resurrected.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Within minutes the speakers had crackled again, and the voice, reassuring now and less urgent, had explained that a Pilot-in-Training had misread his navigational instructions and made a wrong turn.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
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.
