mismatch

1 of 2

noun

mis·​match ˈmis-ˌmach How to pronounce mismatch (audio)
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
She 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

mismatch

2 of 2

verb

mis·​match ˌmis-ˈmach How to pronounce mismatch (audio)
mismatched; mismatching

transitive verb

: 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

Examples of mismatch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The mismatch between television technology and television use seems to be only getting worse. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024 As buyers return this spring, some experts predict there will be enough of a mismatch between supply and demand to send prices back up. Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024 Middleton agreed with Rivers that the team fought throughout defensively and said communication was on a high in a tough road environment as players helped one another other navigate screens and switch off the ball to eliminate mismatches. Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2024 But if the margins prove tight, look out — one mismatch, properly attacked, is enough to turn a game — and the Niners are fretting their matchups in the secondary on Sunday. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024 This mismatch in prospects means many lower-quality office buildings will need to be converted into mixed-use buildings in order to generate sufficient revenues. Will Daniel, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 This mismatch can leave you feeling trapped, unable to leverage seasonal surges or invest in growth opportunities. William Mullane, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024 This mismatch led to their failure in implementation. Mehdi Daoudi, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 The mismatch between buyer interest and supply can be traced back to the Great Recession when many homebuilders went out of business and those that remained didn’t resume building at previous rates. Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 29 Jan. 2024
Verb
With These Wall Frames Display a collection of matching (or mismatched) pictures with these wall frames. Taylor Gumm, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2024 Fanatics, which has taken over operations of the online NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL fan shops over the last decade, has been ridiculed by fans, at times for mismatching one team’s font on another’s jersey. Michael Nowels, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2024 Get rid of scratched broiling pans and mismatched pots and choose a new, gleaming set. Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024 As a result, the cars are often made up of mismatching colored parts. Zolan Kanno-Youngs Marian Carrasquero, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2023 The pair made headlines earlier this year for their couple’s style after social media users called out the couple for their often mismatching ensembles. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 13 Dec. 2023 There are my tube socks from camp, vaguely athletic ones from my high school basketball career, and many mismatched neon pairs from a brand called Hot Sox. Lucy Dolan-Zalaznick, Vogue, 12 Dec. 2023 Decreasing demand has been mismatched with higher production, projected by the commission to be up 4% so far this year for member nations. Dennis Romero, NBC News, 12 Sep. 2023 Watch a video of a ballet class on TikTok or YouTube and find that dancers are in pants that resemble garbage bags, ratty, mismatched leg-warmers, and lots and lots of layers. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 6 Dec. 2023

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.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1606, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1582, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mismatch was in 1582

Dictionary Entries Near mismatch

Cite this Entry

“Mismatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mismatch. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mismatch

verb
mis·​match
(ˈ)mis-ˈmach
: to match unsuitably or badly
mismatch noun

More from Merriam-Webster on mismatch

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