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

This creates a mismatch between how conservation is funded and how it is implemented. —Ana K. Spalding, The Conversation, 16 June 2026

That mismatch can drain inventories and stretch defense spending during prolonged operations. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 June 2026

Verb

This mismatched manicure pairs butter yellow French tips on one hand with light pink tips on the other, while translucent stripes and delicate gems add an extra dose of sparkle. —Amanda Le, InStyle, 14 June 2026

Old Coats And Scarfs Coat closets often contain jackets that no longer fit, broken umbrellas, and mismatched scarves and gloves. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 12 June 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
• bache
• batch
• brach
• catch
• hatch

Kids Definition

mismatch

verb

mis·​match

(ˈ)mis-ˈmach

: to match unsuitably or badly

mismatch noun