1
as in misunderstood
to fail to understand the true or actual meaning of
the auctioneer mistook my nod for a bid, and I ended up buying a painting I don't even like
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in misjudged
to make an incorrect judgment regarding
you seriously mistake me if you think I scare so easily
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in confused
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related
she mistook physical attraction for love
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of mistook
While walking alongside his teammates, Kolek, 25, was briefly stopped by police, who seemingly mistook him for a fan.
—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
19 June 2026
Canons of literature were curated by gatekeepers who mistook their vantage point for universality.
—
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
Experts in Italy accidentally mistook a three for an eight, and misdated an important, 14th-century Madonna and Child painting, now up for auction.
—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
10 June 2026
All of this comes after reports on how Kate Middleton once had a pretty funny response after someone mistook her for Prince William’s assistant.
—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
3 June 2026
Alvarez, 41, was in MacArthur Park on May 18 when he was approached by two police officers, who initially mistook him as the suspect in a vehicle theft, according to a Justice Department news release and a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in the Central District of California.
—
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Samara Weaving and Margot Robbie bear a striking resemblance to one another—so much so, apparently, that a fan once mistook her for the Barbie actress.
—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
29 May 2026
Two years in the making, this unexpected white marble pyramid jutting out of the sand dunes (which locals mistook as a hub for illicit activities during its construction) has significantly raised the culture bar in the area.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 May 2026
Recent history is full of businesses that mistook expansion for resilience and discovered too late that scale alone doesn’t fix weak fundamentals.
—
Richard McCathron,
Fortune,
25 May 2026
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
19 June 2026
Canons of literature were curated by gatekeepers who mistook their vantage point for universality.
—
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
Experts in Italy accidentally mistook a three for an eight, and misdated an important, 14th-century Madonna and Child painting, now up for auction.
—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
10 June 2026
All of this comes after reports on how Kate Middleton once had a pretty funny response after someone mistook her for Prince William’s assistant.
—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
3 June 2026
Alvarez, 41, was in MacArthur Park on May 18 when he was approached by two police officers, who initially mistook him as the suspect in a vehicle theft, according to a Justice Department news release and a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in the Central District of California.
—
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Samara Weaving and Margot Robbie bear a striking resemblance to one another—so much so, apparently, that a fan once mistook her for the Barbie actress.
—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
29 May 2026
Two years in the making, this unexpected white marble pyramid jutting out of the sand dunes (which locals mistook as a hub for illicit activities during its construction) has significantly raised the culture bar in the area.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 May 2026
Recent history is full of businesses that mistook expansion for resilience and discovered too late that scale alone doesn’t fix weak fundamentals.
—
Richard McCathron,
Fortune,
25 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistook
Verb
-
The county argues the grand jury fundamentally misunderstood what happened before the explosion, saying its investigation relied on speculation instead of evidence and wrongly blamed county officials for a criminal enterprise prosecutors say was built on years of deception.
-
In response to questions about the Mizuho analyst’s conclusions, Muddy Waters founder Carson Block told Fortune by email that the analyst had misunderstood its findings.
Verb
-
Basallo misjudged it, taking an unhurried shuffle up the line, before the ball glanced off his glove and rolled toward the Dodgers dugout.
-
Others misjudged what customers actually wanted.
Verb
-
It's called cognitive empathy, not to be confused with emotional empathy.
-
So The Listeners — not to be confused with 2022’s The Listener starring Tessa Thompson and you in a voice role — is just now reaching the States.
Verb
-
Maybe your flight was canceled, your luggage disappeared, you got stranded overseas, missed a cruise departure or learned a hard lesson the hard way.
-
The consensus seems to be that the Mavs will target a point guard, which makes sense as the Mavs’ current lead guard, Kyrie Irving, is 34 and missed all of last season recovering from a torn ACL.
Verb
-
But Lohar has been misunderstood and underestimated all her life.
-
Even so, in a digital world increasingly impacted by algorithms and all manner of AI, the allure of performers and music fans communing — live and in real time — cannot be underestimated.
Cite this Entry
“Mistook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistook. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
