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 Web
Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 Feb. 2026
Regional housing needs will consider the number of people paying too much in rent, housing quality, whether a home is overcrowded and the mismatch in supply compared to demand, Shattuck said.
—Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 10 Feb. 2026
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2026
Go through your container collection one evening or weekend and toss mismatched, cracked, and discolored containers in the trash.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mismatch
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Noun
Council made two free throws, then Bidunga guarded Burries on a mismatch and rejected his shot at the rim.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 Feb. 2026
Regional housing needs will consider the number of people paying too much in rent, housing quality, whether a home is overcrowded and the mismatch in supply compared to demand, Shattuck said.
—Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
Both dramas from Asia offer a panorama of a family rocked by unexpected circumstances and grappling with the mundane realities of an economic life mismatched to their goals.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2026
Go through your container collection one evening or weekend and toss mismatched, cracked, and discolored containers in the trash.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mismatch
Cite this Entry
“Mismatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mismatch. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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