mistake
Americannoun
-
an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.
- Synonyms:
- oversight, fault, erratum, inaccuracy
-
a misunderstanding or misconception.
- Antonyms:
- understanding
verb (used with object)
-
to regard or identify wrongly as something or someone else.
I mistook him for the mayor.
-
to understand, interpret, or evaluate wrongly; misunderstand; misinterpret.
- Synonyms:
- err, misjudge, misconceive
verb (used without object)
idioms
noun
-
an error or blunder in action, opinion, or judgment
-
a misconception or misunderstanding
verb
-
(tr) to misunderstand; misinterpret
she mistook his meaning
-
to take (for), interpret (as), or confuse (with)
she mistook his direct manner for honesty
-
(tr) to choose badly or incorrectly
he mistook his path
-
(intr) to make a mistake in action, opinion, judgment, etc
Commonly Confused
See misnomer.
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mistakesimple
-
mistakessimple
-
have mistakenperfect
-
has mistakenperfect
-
am mistakingprogressive
-
are mistakingprogressive
-
is mistakingprogressive
-
have been mistakingperfect progressive
-
has been mistakingperfect progressive
Past
-
mistooksimple
-
had mistakenperfect
-
was mistakingprogressive
-
were mistakingprogressive
-
had been mistakingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mistake
First recorded in 1300–30; Middle English mistaken (verb), from Old Norse mistaka “to take in error.” see origin at mis- 1, take
Explanation
A mistake is an error, a goof, a slip-up. When you make a mistake, you've done something incorrectly. Mistake has a lot of uses, but they all have to do with doing the wrong thing. A mistake in math class will result in the wrong answer, but a mistake with a gun could get someone killed. If you mix up two people, you're mistaking one for the other. When you make a mistake, the best thing to do is admit it and try to make up for it; not apologizing for a mistake is another mistake.
Vocabulary lists containing mistake
"The Experiment" and "Superstition"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Indian Summer Sun" and "Almost Evenly Divided"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Critics are worried that Americans will mistake compounded peptides for FDA-approved drugs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
The Heat explained that the posting was a mistake by an employee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Christopher says leaving it up there was an "honest mistake"
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
And losing when he’s the addition to Steph’s team — and make no mistake, the Warriors are Steph’s team — really wouldn’t be fun.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
You couldn't aim yourself very well and sometimes you rolled into the coffee table by mistake and whacked your nose.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
But keep in mind that AI can make mistakes in the data-scraping stage, so it may give inaccurate salary-range results.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
"If we fail to draw conclusions, to change our attitude toward service, to acknowledge our mistakes, we are doomed," he said at the time.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Civilization will eventually rise again, he says, only for humanity to forget its mistakes once more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Stetler, the Oklahoma City pastor, has made mistakes with AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
I knew the kind of mistakes that could get made when feelings were involved.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
During a nighttime field survey, researchers initially mistook the animal for a mushroom, highlighting just how convincing its disguise is.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026
A cancer patient had the wrong part of their bowel removed during an operation after a surgeon mistook a tattoo for the site of a tumour, a report has said.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
Mott set off a security alarm when he jumped the fence, but the operator on duty mistook the cause of the alert as a herd of deer just outside the fence.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
At least 59 detainees were freed because the system mistook them for other people.
From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026
Fern mistook the chickens clamoring about her for their need to talk, so whatever she had to say about the new baby she said to the chickens.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
Investors are seeking certainty from the experts, and rather than disabuse them of those mistaken hopes, the pros often reinforce them.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Unless clear limits are introduced against "mistaken belief" in consent, victims' efforts may be "rendered futile", she told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
As if not wanting to be mistaken for any sort of Good Time, the series presents itself in a desaturated palette, through what can feel at times like a scrim of dust.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
The other half of the bracket definitely won’t be mistaken for a chess match.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Most women would be offended to be mistaken for the ghostly apparition, but she did not flinch at the horrific namesake.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Traditionally, a Commonwealth-centric sport, there is no mistaking Glasgow 2026 is a major occasion for netball.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
This is an easy category error for anyone to make when talking about tourism, mistaking a country’s boundless beauty and hospitality toward visitors for anything else.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
There is little chance of mistaking the test car for typical Mercedes fare.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Sabrina Carpenter has apologized after sparking backlash for mistaking a Coachella fan’s traditional Arabic cheer for yodeling, which she described as “weird.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
They watched his dealing more closely, mistaking his clumsiness for a cardsharp’s sleight of hand.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
