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

In fact, the questioning of Chalker was part of a postmortem examination of a misstep by the case officer who had handed him the key. —David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026

The rules are simple enough to follow, but the small and avoidable administrative missteps end up causing valuable time. —Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026

Even with a home win at Kingsmeadow this weekend, the defense is effectively over, given Chelsea’s missteps earlier in the campaign. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026

The state has struggled to keep up with demand, largely due to the lingering impacts of decades-long missteps in housing policies, said Paavo Monkkonen, a professor in urban planning at UCLA. —Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for misstep

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

Kids Definition

misstep

noun

mis·​step (ˈ)mis-ˈstep 

1

: a wrong step

2

: mistake entry 2 sense 2, blunder