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
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
Byard studies a smartphone showing his year-old wishes for a new coach, those expressed to a reporter late last season, including disappointment that far too many missteps had been improperly dealt with.
—
Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
The chief’s comments, on the eve of the first anniversary of the Palisades fire, were the strongest admission yet of missteps by department leaders.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Similarly, Schoen was expected to be in the hot seat at the end of the regular season after several notable missteps during his tenure.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026
When enterprises rely on devs to build passkeys in-house, any gaps or missteps that occur during the process can surface as user friction later on.
—Fortune, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misstep
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
The chief’s comments, on the eve of the first anniversary of the Palisades fire, were the strongest admission yet of missteps by department leaders.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Similarly, Schoen was expected to be in the hot seat at the end of the regular season after several notable missteps during his tenure.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026
When enterprises rely on devs to build passkeys in-house, any gaps or missteps that occur during the process can surface as user friction later on.
—Fortune, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misstep
Cite this Entry
“Misstep.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misstep. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
misstep
noun
mis·step
(ˈ)mis-ˈstep
1
: a wrong step
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share