misread

verb

mis·​read ˌmis-ˈrēd How to pronounce misread (audio)
misread ˌmis-ˈred How to pronounce misread (audio) ; misreading ˌmis-ˈrē-diŋ How to pronounce misread (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to read incorrectly
2
: to misinterpret in or as if in reading
totally misread the lesson of historyChristopher Hollis

Examples of misread in a Sentence

I guess I misread the instructions. They have misread the lessons of the past. Politicians may have misread the mood of the public. I badly misread the situation.
Recent Examples on the Web The Supreme Court, in Moore v. Harper, misread the Constitution. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 And the debaters still misread what happened decades later. John Tamny, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 But the Times investigation found that Mr. Putin and his advisers misread a critical dynamic. Michael Schwirtz, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024 That would misread Turkey’s true geopolitical orientation. Soner Cagaptay, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2024 Getting past emotional assumptions: Couples can often misread the motivation for their partner’s financial decisions, and this can sometimes lead to conflict. Bruce Helmer and Peg Webb, Twin Cities, 3 Feb. 2024 The authors speculated that these respondents may have misread the instructions and misunderstood that the scales were reverse scored for the two ratings. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 11 Aug. 2023 Their physical presence in these small spaces impedes my ability to prepare the meal, and their attempts to engage me in conversation are distracting — often leading to me misreading a recipe or not getting something out of the oven in time. Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2024 Mikkelson insisted that Title IX is being misread by most people. Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misread.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of misread was in 1658

Dictionary Entries Near misread

Cite this Entry

“Misread.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misread. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

misread

verb
mis·​read (ˈ)mis-ˈrēd How to pronounce misread (audio)
misread -ˈred How to pronounce misread (audio) ; misreading -ˈrēd-iŋ How to pronounce misread (audio)
1
: to read incorrectly
2
: to misinterpret in or as if in reading

More from Merriam-Webster on misread

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