misread

verb

mis·​read ˌmis-ˈrēd 

misread ˌmis-ˈred  ; misreading ˌmis-ˈrē-diŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to read incorrectly

2

: to misinterpret in or as if in reading

… totally misread the lesson of history …

—Christopher Hollis

Synonyms of misread

• misunderstand

Examples of misread in a Sentence

I guess I misread the instructions.

They have misread the lessons of the past.

Politicians may have misread the mood of the public.

I badly misread the situation.

Recent Examples on the Web

When too many suds are introduced, sensors may misread water levels, cycles may stall, and pumps may struggle to drain properly. — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Nov. 2026

This matters because, for a patient who has already left the country, graft take isn’t fully visible for months, and early signs of infection or improper healing are easy for a patient to misread alone. — Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 29 Oct. 2026

Pay attention to your tone, since things are easy to misread right now. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2026

Officials said the department has reported no instances of misuse under its current auditing practices, although 71% of camera alerts involved misread license plates. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for misread

• accede
• agreed
• airspeed
• alkyd
• bindweed
• chickweed
• concede
• decreed
• duckweed
• exceed
• flaxseed
• impede

Kids Definition

misread

verb

mis·​read (ˈ)mis-ˈrēd 

misread -ˈred  ; misreading -ˈrēd-iŋ 

1

: to read incorrectly

2

: to misinterpret in or as if in reading