mislead

1 of 2

verb

mis·​lead ˌmis-ˈlēd 

misled ˌmis-ˈled  ; misleading

transitive verb

: to lead in a wrong direction or into a mistaken action or belief often by deliberate deceit

His comments were a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.

intransitive verb

: to lead astray : give a wrong impression

Exciting as they are, they mislead.

—E. M. Forster

misleader noun

misleadingly

ˌmis-ˈlē-diŋ-lē 

adverb

misleader

2 of 2

noun

mis·​leader

"+

: one that misleads

have called him a misleader of youth, a debaser of traditional values and a corrupter of historical verities

—C. V. Woodward

Synonyms of mislead

Verb

• deceive
• fool
• trick

Choose the Right Synonym for mislead

deceive, mislead, delude, beguile mean to lead astray or frustrate usually by underhandedness.

deceive implies imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness.

tried to deceive me about the cost

mislead implies a leading astray that may or may not be intentional.

I was misled by the confusing sign

delude implies deceiving so thoroughly as to obscure the truth.

we were deluded into thinking we were safe

beguile stresses the use of charm and persuasion in deceiving.

was beguiled by false promises

Examples of mislead in a Sentence

Verb

We believe that her comments were deliberately meant to mislead the public.

We believe that her comments were deliberately meant to mislead.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

That is exactly why averages mislead. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 25 June 2026

The denominator can also mislead. — Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

The story misled the enemy into thinking diet rather than technology accounted for the success. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 24 June 2026

So British officials spread the story that their pilots were eating large amounts of carrots to explain their sharp night vision, misleading the enemy into thinking diet, not technology, was behind the success. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 24 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English misleder, from misleden + -er

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for mislead

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

Kids Definition

mislead

verb

mis·​lead (ˈ)mis-ˈlēd 

misled -ˈled  ; misleading

: to lead in a wrong direction or into a mistaken action or belief

misleading adjective

Legal Definition

mislead

verb

mis·​lead mis-ˈlēd 

misled -ˈled  ; misleading

transitive verb

: to lead into a mistaken action or belief : to cause to have a false impression

intransitive verb

: to create a false impression compare deceive