misremember
verb
mis·re·mem·ber
ˌmis-ri-ˈmem-bər 
misremembered; misremembering
1
: to remember incorrectly
When people report on complex social or political situations, they may misremember many of the specifics … yet can accurately describe the basic situation that took place.—
Rita L. Atkinson et al.
Rita L. Atkinson et al.Perhaps I misremember. But I think not.—Anne F. Thurston
Anne F. Thurston2
chiefly dialectal
: to be unable to remember : forget
… I misremember what I came here for.—Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard KiplingExamples of misremember in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This crucial clarification reveals that Rhymefest had not only misremembered the lyric but had also inserted the N-Word where it was never spoken.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Misleading real or generated images can make false claims seem more believable and even cause people to misremember real events.
—Arryn Robbins, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2025
Also, since her arrival, Maria keeps misremembering things, with increasingly serious consequences.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 Apr. 2025
Classic games like Clue are often taught through oral tradition and that distorts how the game is played because people misremember the rules or were taught versions with house rules.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Carr had to assemble her portrait of the young Candy from snippets, fragments, misremembered memories, and family shame.
—Hilton Als, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Surprisingly, when characters appeared to overcome depression, participants often misremembered this recovery as belonging to the competent character.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Biden’s age, of course, has long been a topic of debate, and conservatives have spent much of his Presidency sharing clips of names misremembered and words misspoken.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2024
Most historians assume that since Priestley consulted with Franklin (who was in London at the time) while writing his treatise, this account is probably largely accurate, though Franklin may have misremembered some of the details more than a decade later.
—Chuong Nguyen, Ars Technica, 24 May 2023
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Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Misleading real or generated images can make false claims seem more believable and even cause people to misremember real events.
—Arryn Robbins, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2025
Also, since her arrival, Maria keeps misremembering things, with increasingly serious consequences.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 Apr. 2025
Classic games like Clue are often taught through oral tradition and that distorts how the game is played because people misremember the rules or were taught versions with house rules.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Carr had to assemble her portrait of the young Candy from snippets, fragments, misremembered memories, and family shame.
—Hilton Als, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Surprisingly, when characters appeared to overcome depression, participants often misremembered this recovery as belonging to the competent character.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Biden’s age, of course, has long been a topic of debate, and conservatives have spent much of his Presidency sharing clips of names misremembered and words misspoken.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2024
Most historians assume that since Priestley consulted with Franklin (who was in London at the time) while writing his treatise, this account is probably largely accurate, though Franklin may have misremembered some of the details more than a decade later.
—Chuong Nguyen, Ars Technica, 24 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Misremember.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misremember. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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