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
William C. RhodenShe 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
Dan Vergano
mis·match
ˌmis-ˈmach
mismatched; mismatching
: 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
Liz ReyerExamples of mismatch in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
That mismatch between branding and destination is a major red flag in crypto phishing attacks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Dec. 2025
Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 12 Dec. 2025
The Grinchiest Meal of All Time at McDonald's Canada comes with either a Big Mac, 10-piece chicken McNuggets, McChicken or McVeggie with Who-Hash Bites (tater tots), a drink and mismatched Grinch socks.
—Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mismatch
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Noun
By age 18, major record labels came calling on Franklin, but her early time at Columbia Records proved to be a cultural and musical mismatch.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
That mismatch between branding and destination is a major red flag in crypto phishing attacks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Dec. 2025
Verb
Another approach that works is to mismatch types of items; think a formal double-breasted blazer with sporty shorts, or a sporty anorak with a more feminine skirt.
—Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 12 Dec. 2025
The Grinchiest Meal of All Time at McDonald's Canada comes with either a Big Mac, 10-piece chicken McNuggets, McChicken or McVeggie with Who-Hash Bites (tater tots), a drink and mismatched Grinch socks.
—Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mismatch
Cite this Entry
“Mismatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mismatch. Accessed 16 Dec. 2025.
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