misspeak

verb

mis·speak | \ˌmis-ˈspēk

misspoke\ -ˈspōk

\; misspoken\ -ˈspō-kən

\; misspeaking

Definition of misspeak

transitive verb

1 : to speak (something, such as a word) incorrectly

2 : to express (oneself) imperfectly or incorrectly claims now that he misspoke himself

intransitive verb

: to speak incorrectly : misspeak oneself

Examples of misspeak in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But intentionally misspeaking to Congress is a crime, giving his statement on Thursday added weight. — Nicholas Fandos And Maggie Haberman, New York Times, "Trump Jr. Says He Wanted Russian Dirt to Determine Clinton’s ‘Fitness’ for Office," 7 Sep. 2017 Lawmakers in both parties misspeak about health policy all the time. — Paige Winfield Cunningham, Washington Post, "The Health 202: Trump needs to take Health Policy 101," 12 May 2017 The heads of the intelligence service have a long tradition of misspeaking or telling untruths that advance their agenda. — Ryan Singel, WIRED, "NSA Chief Denies, Denies, Denies Wired’s Domestic Spying Story," 20 Mar. 2012

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'misspeak.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.