mistook

[ mi-stoo k ]

/ mɪˈstʊk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mistook ON THESAURUS.COM

verb

simple past tense of mistake.

Content related to mistook

patient zero Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.

Words related to mistook

misread, misinterpret, miscalculate, overlook, confuse, misjudge, underestimate, misconstrue, overestimate, goof, miscount, err, botch, addle, lapse, omit, misconceive, blunder, confound, snarl

Words nearby mistook

mistinguett, mistle thrush, mistletoe, mistletoe bird, mistletoe cactus, mistook, mistral, mistranslate, mistreat, mistress, mistress of ceremonies

Definition for mistook (2 of 2)

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.

Origin of mistake

1300–30; Middle English mistaken (v.) < Old Norse mistaka to take in error. See mis-¹, take

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.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mistake ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR mistake

2 understanding.

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OTHER WORDS FROM mistake

mis·tak·er, nounmis·tak·ing·ly, adverbun·mis·tak·ing, adjectiveun·mis·tak·ing·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mistake

misnomer mistake (see confusables note at misnomer)

words 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 mistook

The latest is maybe the biggest howler yet, bigger than even the ad that mistook Duke basketball players for UK Wildcats.
Mitch McConnell’s Big Obamacare-Kynect Lie|Michael Tomasky|May 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pistorius maintains that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder.
Witness: Pistorius Suicidal After Shooting Reeva|Kelly Berold|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She mistook him for a servant and fed him kindly; later, she found out that the man was a top advisor to a major general.
The Queen of the French Kitchen|Katie Baker|March 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps among other things, Smith mistook kindness as a sign of as weak case.
Free Demaryius Thomas’s Mom After 14 Years on a Drug Charge|Michael Daly|January 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Wurtz turns himself into The Man Who Mistook His Stand For His Art, and by doing so, made it so.
The Man Who Mistook A Stand For His Art|Blake Gopnik|April 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They saw me, and mistook me for some one by the name of Dick, and called to me.
Nell, of Shorne Mills|Charles Garvice
In a circle, face to face, they mistook each other in the darkness, and fought gallantly and with undoubted obstinacy.
The Rise of Canada, from Barbarism to Wealth and Civilisation|Charles Roger
But he mistook the one: he thought I was angry with the tall handsome one.
Babylon, Volume 3 (of 3)|Grant Allen
MacDonald had killed only his own cattle, and secretly it had shamed her, for she mistook his honesty for lack of courage.
'Me-Smith'|Caroline Lockhart
It cannot be said that he mistook the bounds of his prerogative because they had not been accurately ascertained.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay

British Dictionary definitions for mistook (1 of 2)

mistook

/ (mɪˈstʊk) /

verb

the past tense of mistake

British Dictionary definitions for mistook (2 of 2)

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, noun

Word 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 mistook

mistake

In addition to the idiom beginning with mistake

mistake for

also see:

by mistake
make no mistake