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

Those miscues got Boston’s sixth man pulled from the floor after two minutes, during which the Celtics were outscored by 11 points. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025

But after some offensive miscues and several defensive lapses that led to explosive plays in the first half, the Chiefs and Commanders went into the break tied at 7 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. —Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2025

Verb

Wharton might make a wrong decision, miscue a tricky ball, or be overambitious with his distribution on occasion. —Thom Harris, New York Times, 15 May 2025

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