misread

verb

mis·​read ˌmis-ˈrēd 

misread ˌmis-ˈred  ; misreading ˌmis-ˈrē-diŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to read incorrectly

2

: to misinterpret in or as if in reading

… totally misread the lesson of history …

—Christopher Hollis

Synonyms of misread

• misunderstand

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

When James Wood misread the ball in the sixth inning, the type of mistake the right fielder has mostly avoided as the Washington Nationals have mashed their way to MLB relevance in recent weeks, the day settled on its identity. —Noah White, Washington Post, 17 June 2026

What employers are misreading Employers are not ignoring these problems. —Bob Batchelor, The Conversation, 17 June 2026

Pulling one habit out of that mix and calling it the secret misreads the science. —Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 15 June 2026

Boards that assume future action will suffice are misreading the timing. —Maman Ibrahim, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for misread

• accede
• agreed
• airspeed
• alkyd
• bindweed
• chickweed
• concede
• decreed
• duckweed
• exceed
• flaxseed
• impede

Kids Definition

misread

verb

mis·​read (ˈ)mis-ˈrēd 

misread -ˈred  ; misreading -ˈrēd-iŋ 

1

: to read incorrectly

2

: to misinterpret in or as if in reading