misstrike

1 of 2

noun

mis·​strike ˈmis-ˌstrīk How to pronounce misstrike (audio)
variants or mis-strike
plural misstrikes or mis-strikes
1
: a coin whose design is imperfect (as by being incomplete or off-center) because the coin was inaccurately struck when it was created
Things to take into consideration include rarity …, distinct symbols and even errors made on the coin, like a misstrike, where the design is stamped off-center.Josh Levine
2
: an instance of striking something wrongly or inaccurately
When first-graders play glockenspiels, she removes the flat notes, so even a mis-strike doesn't sound bad.Tracey Wong Briggs
Now, that's not so bad on a typewriter, but on a word processor, a misstrike brings up things you don't want, while on a computer, it brings even more "stuff"—stuff you never heard of …Mike Morton

misstrike

2 of 2

verb

mis·​strike ˌmis-ˈstrīk How to pronounce misstrike (audio)
variants or mis-strike
misstruck ˌmis-ˈstrək How to pronounce misstrike (audio) or mis-struck; misstriking or mis-striking

transitive verb

: to strike (something) wrongly or inaccurately
misstrike a key
… one photo shows the long, heavy roof bolts … protruding from the roof, bent at 90-degree angles like cheap nails misstruck with a hammer.Robert Gherke
Jobe's tee shot landed in a bunker to the left of the green, and he mis-struck a sand shot that traveled only a few feet.Gene Wang

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1901, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of misstrike was in 1869

Dictionary Entries Near misstrike

Cite this Entry

“Misstrike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misstrike. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.

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