wrong number

American  

noun

1. (in telephoning)

   1. a call made to a number other than the one intended.

   2. the number or person reached through such a call.

2. Slang.

   1. the wrong person for a particular task, role, or situation.

      Me cook a gourmet dinner?—You've got the wrong number!

   2. an inadequate, disagreeable, or repulsive person.

      She's OK, but her brother's a wrong number.

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wrong number British  

noun

1. a telephone number wrongly connected or dialled in error or the person so contacted

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Example Sentences

Wrong number, he told his wife.

From Literature

Suddenly, machines on the East Coast that tried to process trillions of requests were getting the internet’s equivalent of a wrong number.

From The Wall Street Journal

On 9 October 2024, Mr McCann answered a call from Ms Wandelt to his wife's phone, saying she had "a wrong number".

From BBC

“I may have put down the wrong number in that particular instance on accident,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

According to the special counsel, however, that message — intended for a Republican lawmaker in Michigan — was sent to an undisclosed but definitely wrong number.

From Salon

Related Words

• false
• faulty
• flawed
• inaccurate
• invalid
• misguided
• mistaken
• specious
• spurious
• unfounded
• unsound
• untrue