mismatch

1 of 2

noun

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

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 

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

What makes these storms so expensive is the mismatch between the rain and the recovery. — Ravi S. Bhalla, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026

This is one of those series where there is a mismatch between viewership and critical coverage. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Verb

Using 128 years of data, researchers trace this to two culprits—an unrepresentative recent sample and a benchmarking bias from mismatching callable bonds to Treasuries—and find the credit risk premium is real once corrected. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026

Summers said brands often hire consulting companies to craft these sustainability solutions, which, despite being well-intentioned, are mismatched with the realities faced by manufacturers. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1606, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1582, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mismatch

• attach
• bycatch
• despatch
• detach
• dispatch
• nuthatch
• potlatch
• bache
• batch
• brach
• catch
• hatch

Kids Definition

mismatch

verb

mis·​match

(ˈ)mis-ˈmach

: to match unsuitably or badly

mismatch noun