mistake
[ mi-steyk ]
/ mɪˈsteɪk /
noun
an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.
a misunderstanding or misconception.
verb (used with object), mis·took, mis·tak·en, mis·tak·ing.
to regard or identify wrongly as something or someone else: I mistook him for the mayor.
to understand, interpret, or evaluate wrongly; misunderstand; misinterpret.
verb (used without object), mis·took, mis·tak·en, mis·tak·ing.
to be in error.
Words nearby mistake
Idioms for mistake
and no mistake, for certain; surely: He's an honorable person, and no mistake.
Origin of mistake
SYNONYMS FOR mistake
1 inaccuracy, erratum, fault, oversight. Mistake, blunder, error, slip refer to deviations from right, accuracy, correctness, or truth. A mistake, grave or trivial, is caused by bad judgment or a disregard of rule or principle: It was a mistake to argue. A blunder is a careless, stupid, or gross mistake in action or speech, suggesting awkwardness, heedlessness, or ignorance: Through his blunder the message was lost. An error (often interchanged with mistake ) is an unintentional wandering or deviation from accuracy, or right conduct: an error in addition. A slip is usually a minor mistake made through haste or carelessness: a slip of the tongue.
4 misconceive, misjudge, err.
OTHER WORDS FROM mistake
mis·tak·er, nounmis·tak·ing·ly, adverbun·mis·tak·ing, adjectiveun·mis·tak·ing·ly, adverbwords often confused with mistake
See misnomer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for mistake
British Dictionary definitions for mistake
mistake
/ (mɪˈsteɪk) /
noun
an error or blunder in action, opinion, or judgment
a misconception or misunderstanding
verb -takes, -taking, -took or -taken
(tr) to misunderstand; misinterpretshe mistook his meaning
(tr foll by for) to take (for), interpret (as), or confuse (with)she mistook his direct manner for honesty
(tr) to choose badly or incorrectlyhe mistook his path
(intr) to make a mistake in action, opinion, judgment, etc
Derived forms of mistake
mistaker, nounWord Origin for mistake
C13 (meaning: to do wrong, err): from Old Norse mistaka to take erroneously
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
Idioms and Phrases with mistake
mistake
In addition to the idiom beginning with mistake
- mistake for
also see:
- by mistake
- make no mistake
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.