mismatch

1 of 2

noun

mis·​match ˈmis-ˌmach 

plural mismatches

: a faulty or unsuitable match

New England plays St. Louis in Super Bowl XXXVI this evening, and on the face of it, this game is a mismatch, a blowout waiting to happen.

—William C. Rhoden

She is blood type O, and the donor heart and lungs she received in the first operation were blood type A. That mismatch triggered rejection by her immune system.

—Dan Vergano

mismatch

2 of 2

verb

mis·​match ˌmis-ˈmach 

mismatched; mismatching

transitive verb

: to match (two people or things) wrongly or unsuitably

Let's say that you are afraid of boring your audience. One cause is mismatching the audience's need and the level of detail you provide.

—Liz Reyer

Examples of mismatch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

When those systems are poorly designed, hazards can emerge from excessive demands, low control, unclear roles, weak support, unstable work arrangements, harassment, discrimination, or a mismatch between effort and reward. —Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026

That refers to a mismatch between the county’s old mainframe and the portion of the bill that lists what the property owner paid for its first installment, a treasurer’s office official said. —A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026

Verb

Other dec-aura crimes include mismatched light temperatures. —Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 22 Apr. 2026

Switching mismatched pots for containers in similar colors or materials instantly upgrades the look of a space without changing a single plant. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 21 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1606, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1582, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mismatch

• attach
• bycatch
• despatch
• detach
• dispatch
• nuthatch
• potlatch
• toothache
• bache
• batch
• brach
• catch

Kids Definition

mismatch

verb

mis·​match

(ˈ)mis-ˈmach

: to match unsuitably or badly

mismatch noun