misstep

noun

mis·​step ˌmis-ˈstep 

1

: a mistake in judgment or action : blunder

missteps that led to the project's failure

2

: a wrong step

took a misstep and fell

Synonyms of misstep

• mistake

Examples of misstep in a Sentence

Their decision to relocate the company was a major misstep.

another misstep like that, and the company could go belly-up

Recent Examples on the Web

The chancellor and his team should use this misstep as inspiration to upend the DOE’s profoundly frustrating, bureaucratic and slow procurement system to save taxpayer dollars and get vendors swiftly paid. — Lincoln Restler, New York Daily News, 18 July 2026

Obadare argues in Foreign Policy that President Tinubu has established a cohesive Nigerian foreign policy, learning from early missteps to raise the country’s diplomatic weight in the first three years of his term. — Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 17 July 2026

Losing Pavel Dorofeyev for Andersson feels like a big misstep in that context. — Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 16 July 2026

On Monday, the first day of the trial in which Basabe is representing himself without an attorney, the proceedings were shaded by Basabe’s blundering legal missteps and procedural chaos. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for misstep

• bicep
• doorstep
• footstep
• instep
• sidestep
• cep
• hep
• pep
• prep
• rep
• sep
• step

Kids Definition

misstep

noun

mis·​step (ˈ)mis-ˈstep 

1

: a wrong step

2

: mistake entry 2 sense 2, blunder