mistake
Americannoun
-
mistakes
plural
-
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)
-
mistakes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mistook,
past
-
mistaken,
past participle
-
mistaking
present participle
-
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)
-
mistakes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mistook,
past
-
mistaken,
past participle
-
mistaking
present participle
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"
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"Indian Summer Sun" and "Almost Evenly Divided"
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"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"
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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.
See Examples For:
The advertising agency has since acknowledged its mistake and refunded the money.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
But make no mistake, it’s entirely possible that her first day briefing the White House press will also be her best day.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
And in a setting where a mistranslated word can mean the difference between an accurate diagnosis and a dangerous mistake, the consequences can be severe—or even deadly.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
I found Lisandro Martinez's outburst about Manchester United's recruitment very strange, especially after his mistake that cost his side victory over Tottenham.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
I couldn’t help wondering if it was a mistake somehow, if Luc had misspoken.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
When doctors reviewed translations with high quality scores, they also found small but frequent mistakes in medication instructions, as well as in warnings about when to urgently return to the ER.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
I want them to see, step by step, decision by decision, how those massive frauds came about, and teach them how to avoid those same ethical mistakes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
He admitted to "unacceptable mistakes" without mentioning any specific cases.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Against Henderson, the Dodgers took advantage of mistakes by the Brewers’ usually fundamentally sound defense to score four runs against him, only two of which were earned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
But the final four knew the mistakes were the secret code.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
He has attended so many of her meetings that some foreign officials mistook him for her chief of staff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
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
At least 59 detainees were freed because the system mistook them for other people.
From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026
The detective believes Levine saw the bags Palacios was carrying and mistook him for a homeless person.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026
Mom mistook my confused frown for apprehension as she slipped the book into my bag.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Optimists who think the foolishness will blow over are mistaken.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Popular student leader Neha Bora became a viral sensation after a case of mistaken identity led to police detaining her lookalike.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Shortly after the conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated, Patel tweeted that the shooter was in custody; it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026
A shadow can briefly resemble a face, or one object can momentarily be mistaken for another.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026
“You are mistaken in supposing me a beggar. I am no beggar; any more than yourself or your young ladies.”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
LZ is especially sensitive to events of this kind, while its design also helps scientists reduce the chances of mistaking ordinary particle interactions for dark matter.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan each pursued compromise as an end, thus mistaking delay for statesmanship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 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
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
As it got closer, there was no mistaking it.
From "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
