1
as in blunder
a wrong judgment
they made a mistake when they thought the young pitcher was ready to be called up to the major leagues
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2
as in error
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
made a mistake on the exam that almost cost her a passing grade
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to misunderstand
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to underestimate
to make an incorrect judgment regarding
you seriously mistake me if you think I scare so easily
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3
as in to confuse
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related
she mistook physical attraction for love
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mistake
Seth Emerson, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Grier’s fingers shouldn’t be anywhere near next year’s draft, not after a litany of mistakes over 10 largely unsuccessful years as GM.
—Barry Jackson
updated October 19, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025
Birds may see their reflection, especially during mating season, mistake it for a rival, and repeatedly attack the car.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mistake
Noun
Then, Stockton went out Saturday and had a spectacular, mistake-free game.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Grier’s fingers shouldn’t be anywhere near next year’s draft, not after a litany of mistakes over 10 largely unsuccessful years as GM.
—Barry Jackson
updated October 19, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
Sometimes homeowners mistake mole damage for vole damage, says Pierce.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025
Birds may see their reflection, especially during mating season, mistake it for a rival, and repeatedly attack the car.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mistake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistake
Noun
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His biggest accident was no blunder in the mountains, but becoming a billionaire.—
Maya Silver,
Outside,
20 Oct. 2025
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Some began adding more blunders to the list when the Blue Jays dropped two games at the Rogers Centre to begin the ALCS — when Schneider offered up more pitching changes for fans to debate.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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For Baltimore, the margin for error is gone.—
Andy Scholes,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
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The Wolverines then made three consecutive hitting errors, essentially putting the set out of reach.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Lambert said that misunderstanding the limits of local authority likely fueled the online reaction.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Oct. 2025
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But to argue that any of this research adds up to a substantial account of intelligence misunderstands the nature of such human traits and what can be expected from scientific explanations of them.—
Eric Turkheimer,
The Atlantic,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
People underestimate the force and power of water.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
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Don’t underestimate the power of classic shapes—like a set of metallic orbs in varying sizes.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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One of the higher-ups felt my title Stairway to Heaven would be confused with the 1939 movie of the same name.—
Cameron Crowe,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
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Historically, people disguised themselves in mystical and mythical ensembles time of year in order to confuse ghosts and deter them from wreaking havoc; the Celts even carved faces into vegetables to keep the entities away from their food.—
Lisa Stardust,
Vogue,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Torsten Sløk, chief economist at Apollo Global Management, said forecasts of an imminent slowdown have been repeatedly wrong, and the economics profession should start grappling with its track record of misjudgments.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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More concerning for the Seahawks than Macdonald’s misjudgment was the fact that Charbonnet’s run wasn’t close to being successful.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
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As head coach Enzo Maresca made clear after the game, Palmer’s stardust will always be missed but Estevao is helping fill the void.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Will Smith misjudged the ball and never ran to third base, allowing catcher William Contreras to jog to third base and get the final out of the inning.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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The team member, who was responsible for the safe conduct of releasing car 16, misjudged the situation and gave unclear instructions to LEC, who could not see NOR’s car.—
Lydia Mee,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mistake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistake. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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