misremember

verb

mis·​re·​mem·​ber ˌmis-ri-ˈmem-bər How to pronounce misremember (audio)
misremembered; misremembering

transitive + intransitive

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.
Perhaps I misremember. But I think not.Anne F. Thurston
2
chiefly dialectal : to be unable to remember : forget
… I misremember what I came here for.Rudyard Kipling

Examples of misremember in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The record closes out a three-album run in which Lopatin has remembered, misremembered, and invented his own coming of age. Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023 Laurence Miller, a police psychologist and law enforcement trainer based in Florida, said there are legitimate reasons why an officer or anyone else in a high-stress, life-or-death situation may misremember details of the event. USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2023 Distorted or misremembered history, however, is dangerous. Micah Zenko, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2011 The psychological toll of Covid lockdowns could lead some people to misremember the timing of recent events, according to a new study published by University of Aberdeen researchers. Bloomberg, Fortune Well, 31 May 2023 Because games are often taught orally, versions can change due to unexpected house rules, misremembered instructions and other unintentional changes. Rob Wieland, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023 Surprisingly, that is not the original quote, but like many famous sayings, it’s been misremembered and misinterpreted over time. Julia M. Carlson, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023 The Labor Day connection had passed into family lore, with other relatives similarly misremembering the date of his death. Erik Ofgang, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Mar. 2023 Perhaps the biggest challenge of reporting on the case, said Mr. Melathe, was one many journalists face during an investigation: attempting to piece together the truth when sources may misremember the facts. Josh Ocampo, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misremember.' 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

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of misremember was in 1533

Dictionary Entries Near misremember

Cite this Entry

“Misremember.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misremember. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

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