misdirect

verb

mis·​di·​rect ˌmis-də-ˈrekt How to pronounce misdirect (audio)
-(ˌ)dī-
misdirected; misdirecting; misdirects

transitive verb

1
: to give a wrong direction to
2
: to direct wrongly
misdirected their energies

Examples of misdirect in a Sentence

Their mail was misdirected to our address. If he tells you he's not interested, he's trying to misdirect you.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
To prevent this instinct from becoming overactive or misdirected, Kohanski said that owners should teach dogs a release cue to signal that the situation is safe. Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025 Michelle De Ritter Eustis Threatening allies, coddling dictators President Donald Trump’s use of muscular diplomacy with our allies is misdirected. Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 June 2025 The screenplay written by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor is chock full of clever setups, payoffs, hints, and misdirects that not only play with the established canon of previous Final Destination titles, but also build upon them in brilliant fashion. Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025 The whole concept that a cop would purposefully misdirect an entire town and her family about where a girl died because something looked vaguely weird about the boys on the boat with her is absurd, and again, there was proof of that anyway, which everyone seemed content to ignore. Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for misdirect

Word History

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of misdirect was in 1603

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Misdirect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misdirect. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

misdirect

verb
mis·​di·​rect ˌmis-də-ˈrekt How to pronounce misdirect (audio)
-(ˌ)dī-
: to direct incorrectly
misdirection
-ˈrek-shən
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on misdirect

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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