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

The Rams beat the Chargers by 15, so miscues by the special teams didn’t derail them. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026

Washington’s roster doesn’t have the depth to afford miscues this often. — Tashan Reed, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2026

Verb

Kokcu miscued his shot but Akturkoglu stole in at the backpost to score. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 31 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