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

Despite the opportunities before us, Maryland lacks a bold, executable strategy to solve the real energy crisis: the coming mismatch between demand and dependable supply. —Mark A. Aitken, Baltimore Sun, 20 May 2025

Empirically speaking, multiple lines of research suggest that dollar-for-dollar public investment in R&D is about three times as impactful as private R&D. The result is a recurring mismatch between what science is worth and what politics will fund. —John Drake, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025

Verb

Thanks to the recent Abercrombie revival, my loyalty is back with the brand that used to dress me head to toe in mismatching A&F tees and sweatpants—tucked into my boots with the fur, of course. —Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 22 May 2025

Examine images and video for visual flaws, such as distorted hands or faces, unnatural movements, and mismatched audio. —Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025

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