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

There, a mismatch existed between the lab results and the information gathered by the health department. — Lisa Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Others will wonder how Deschamps left Digne out there for so long against the Spain winger in a contest that felt like a total mismatch. — Stuart James, New York Times, 18 July 2026

Verb

Smaller appetite doesn’t mean smaller nutrient needs, and nowhere is that mismatch more obvious than the first meal of the day. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson july 15, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026

Damaged or mismatched gold and silver jewelry The junk jewelry dish may not be junk at all. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 24 June 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