miscue

1 of 2

noun

mis·​cue ˌmis-ˈkyü 

ˈmis-ˌkyü

1

: a faulty stroke in billiards in which the cue slips

2

: mistake, slip

miscue

2 of 2

verb

miscued; miscuing; miscues

intransitive verb

: to make a miscue

Synonyms of miscue

Noun

• mistake
• blunder
• error

Examples of miscue in a Sentence

Noun

the slightest miscue could make the trapeze artist lose his grip and fall to the mat below

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Bombino’s defensive miscue knotted a match in which the 19-year-old delivered the first goal of the night — and the 100th across all competitions in the brief history of SDFC. —Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026

Mental mistakes, defensive miscues and a lack of urgency early in the game led to an 11-6 loss to the A’s on Saturday at Citi Field, the fourth straight for the Mets (7-8). —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026

Verb

Kinsky gifted Atletico the opening goal by miscuing a simple clearance. —Phil Hay, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026

The Heat’s attempts to unlock Herro contributed to their six first-quarter turnovers, miscues Cleveland turned into 11 points. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1889, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for miscue

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• dew

Kids Definition

miscue

1 of 2 noun

mis·​cue (ˈ)mis-ˈkyü 

1

: a faulty stroke in billiards in which the cue slips

2

: mistake entry 2 sense 2, slip

miscue

2 of 2 verb

1

: to make a miscue

2

a

: to miss a stage cue

b

: to answer a wrong cue