mistake
[ mi-steyk ]
/ mɪˈsteɪk /
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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 [mi-stook], /mɪˈstʊk/, mis·tak·en [mi-stey-kuhn], /mɪˈsteɪ kən/, 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 [mi-stook], /mɪˈstʊk/, mis·tak·en [mi-stey-kuhn], /mɪˈsteɪ kən/, mis·tak·ing.
to be in error.
SYNONYMS FOR mistake
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”
Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.
Question 1 of 7
Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?
Idioms for mistake
and no mistake, for certain; surely: He's an honorable person, and no mistake.
Origin of mistake
synonym study for mistake
1. 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.
words often confused with mistake
See misnomer.
OTHER WORDS FROM mistake
mis·tak·er, nounmis·tak·ing·ly, adverbun·mis·tak·ing, adjectiveun·mis·tak·ing·ly, adverbWords nearby mistake
misstrike, missus, missy, mist, mistakable, mistake, mistake for, mistaken, mistal, Mistassini, mistbow
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences 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
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Idioms and Phrases with mistake
mistake
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.