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

That’s a demand signal Western automakers cannot afford to misread — particularly as more affordable competition is still at least a year away from market. — Philipp Kampshoff, Fortune, 30 July 2026

Why More Men Are Turning to TRT Symptoms of low testosterone often get misread as depression, stress or ordinary aging. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 30 July 2026

Days earlier, OpenAI disclosed an unusual security incident that has been widely misread. — Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Veteran French defender Lucas Digne misread the ball and challenged a ball on a cross, but kicked Lamine Yamal instead, committing a foul and giving Spain a penalty kick in the 22nd minute. — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 19 July 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