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Synonyms

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.
wrong number British  

noun

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

"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

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.

In the past, I’ve accidentally given incorrect public transit information when writing about how to get to a museum, or reported the wrong number of poles in the product description for a tent.

From Slate • Mar. 28, 2026

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 • Oct. 21, 2025

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 • Oct. 13, 2025

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 • Oct. 4, 2024

“Yeah, they probably got the wrong number or something. Thanks a lot, you hear. I appreciate it. Tell Alicia maybe some other time.”

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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.