mis·match
ˈmis-ˌmach 
plural mismatches
: a faulty or unsuitable match
New England plays St. Louis in Super Bowl XXXVI this evening, and on the face of it, this game is a mismatch, a blowout waiting to happen.—
William C. Rhoden
William C. RhodenShe is blood type O, and the donor heart and lungs she received in the first operation were blood type A. That mismatch triggered rejection by her immune system.—Dan Vergano
Dan Vergano
mis·match
ˌmis-ˈmach
mismatched; mismatching
: to match (two people or things) wrongly or unsuitably
Let's say that you are afraid of boring your audience. One cause is mismatching the audience's need and the level of detail you provide.—Liz Reyer
Liz ReyerExamples of mismatch in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebMargery A. Beck, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 June 2024
Horford’s defense will be crucial in the upcoming series as the Mavs will look to let Doncic target the 38-year-old on the defensive end to try to create mismatches, score and find teammates for open threes.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 June 2024
IEEE Spectrum, 9 May 2024
Out of more than 15 million ballots cast by mail in California during the last presidential election, less than 0.7% were rejected for reasons like a missing or mismatched signature or not arriving on-time, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.
—Nicole Nixon, Sacramento Bee, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for mismatch 
Noun
That includes analyzing the procedures for how a mismatched signature is flagged, how a voter is notified of the mismatch, and whether the voter is given a reasonable opportunity to cure the problem.
—Margery A. Beck, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 June 2024
Horford’s defense will be crucial in the upcoming series as the Mavs will look to let Doncic target the 38-year-old on the defensive end to try to create mismatches, score and find teammates for open threes.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 June 2024
Verb
Without guidance grounded in their current skills, strengths, and goals—as well as their team’s needs—employees may choose courses or learning programs that are mismatched to their level of skill proficiency or goals.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 May 2024
Out of more than 15 million ballots cast by mail in California during the last presidential election, less than 0.7% were rejected for reasons like a missing or mismatched signature or not arriving on-time, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.
—Nicole Nixon, Sacramento Bee, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for mismatch
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mismatch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mismatch
Cite this Entry
“Mismatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mismatch. Accessed 15 Jun. 2024.
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