by mistake
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A man from Edinburgh says he is facing jail in Thailand because he picked up a woman's phone in a bar "by mistake" on the first day of a backpacking holiday.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
"No one remained imprisoned by mistake: the people were released," said Morando.
From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026
When these files were released, a number of things seemed to have been released by mistake.
From Slate • Feb. 4, 2026
For more than an hour, Trump repeatedly called Greenland Iceland by mistake, while demanding it be turned over to him.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026
“Yes, a crisp October morning. It was sunny out, and that’s the strangest thing. Because when you knocked on my door by mistake, you were soaked to the bone.”
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
