1
as in blunder
a wrong judgment
they made a mistake when they thought the young pitcher was ready to be called up to the major leagues
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2
as in error
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
made a mistake on the exam that almost cost her a passing grade
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to misunderstand
to fail to understand the true or actual meaning of
the auctioneer mistook my nod for a bid, and I ended up buying a painting I don't even like
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to underestimate
to make an incorrect judgment regarding
you seriously mistake me if you think I scare so easily
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3
as in to confuse
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related
she mistook physical attraction for love
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mistake
Caitlin Pagán, Verywell Health, 21 May 2025
The Board of Trustees acknowledge and apologize for the errors and mistakes made on their part as well.
—Chris Quintana, USA Today, 21 May 2025
Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 15 May 2025
Officials have also warned that their toy guns could be mistaken for a real weapon.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mistake
Noun
Not eating is one of the most common mistakes people make.
—Caitlin Pagán, Verywell Health, 21 May 2025
The Board of Trustees acknowledge and apologize for the errors and mistakes made on their part as well.
—Chris Quintana, USA Today, 21 May 2025
Verb
Alec, Stephen, Billy, and Daniel Baldwin Unlike others on this list, there's no mistaking the Baldwins as brothers.
—Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 15 May 2025
Officials have also warned that their toy guns could be mistaken for a real weapon.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mistake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistake
Noun
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Viewers speculated whether this was a blunder, power play or something else.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
27 May 2025
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Many of the nation’s biggest military blunders occurred because there wasn’t enough diversity in the armed forces.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
26 May 2025
Noun
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Only one major-league third baseman, the San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado, has more errors than Muncy’s eight through his first 49 games of the season.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
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The poll of 1,136 Democrats carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.89 percentage points.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 May 2025
Verb
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That's extremely common among these cases, said University of Idaho law professor Benji Cover, who wrote a paper about people, including noncitizens, misunderstanding election rules and being prosecuted in recent decades.—
Miles Parks,
NPR,
17 May 2025
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The driver misunderstood the instruction and entered the fast lane before the re-start time was officially confirmed in breach of the Race Director's event notes.—
Lydia Mee,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 May 2025
Verb
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However, not to be underestimated are Malia Rainey (11.57) and Marley Scoggins (11.60) from Calabasas (11.57) and Carson’s Christina Gray, who ran 12.05 to win the City title.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
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They’ve all been discarded and underestimated, and all of them are capable of much more than the dead-end job to which they’ve been assigned.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
29 May 2025
Verb
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Also, this word et cetera at the end of the sentence confused me.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
26 May 2025
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Weir was confused by the man’s unusual conviction, though.—
Louise Erdrich,
New Yorker,
25 May 2025
Verb
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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.—
Kirsten Acuna,
People.com,
28 May 2025
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Both teams had their first two penalties saved, before Steaua eventually got themselves together to score two… which was enough because Barca missed all four of theirs.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
Verb
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In one classic example cited in Science Advances, judges frequently misjudge a defendant’s risk of reoffending.—
Robert Pearl,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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Yeah, the second twist felt so much like Tucker & Dale and the realizations that characters have after misjudging people.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2025
Noun
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That miscalculation opened the door for New York to sign him to a four-year, $104 million deal.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2025
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Without reliable frameworks, international politics will become more uncertain and volatile, making miscalculation and conflict more likely.—
ALLISON CARNEGIE,
Foreign Affairs,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mistake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistake. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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