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
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Recent Examples of mistook
An asteroid weighing about 7 tons and traveling at 45,000 miles per hour zoomed over multiple states and lit up the sky as a meteor Tuesday morning, causing a loud boom that some residents mistook for an explosion, officials said.
—
Kerry Breen, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Cyber Ninjas sometimes mistook routine aspects of the election process as signs of wrongdoing.
—Jen Fifield, ProPublica, 12 Mar. 2026
Hoyas guard Fred Brown mistook Carolina’s James Worthy for a teammate and passed the ball right to his opponent.
—Bill Hancock, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
The detective believes Levine saw the bags Palacios was carrying and mistook him for a homeless person.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
The doctors at Daso include an octogenarian who once mistook fat for an appendix and other doctors whose board certifications appear to be overstated.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
In September 2018, Guyger mistook Jean’s apartment for her own.
—Jane Harper, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
Censori confirmed one part of earlier testimony — that Kardashian was reportedly perturbed when another employee mistook Censori for Kardashian during a visit to the house.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Others mistook Caesar’s top-down approach for a desire to replace the Republic with a monarchy.
—Paul Vanderbroeck, Big Think, 9 Feb. 2026
Kerry Breen, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Cyber Ninjas sometimes mistook routine aspects of the election process as signs of wrongdoing.
—Jen Fifield, ProPublica, 12 Mar. 2026
Hoyas guard Fred Brown mistook Carolina’s James Worthy for a teammate and passed the ball right to his opponent.
—Bill Hancock, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
The detective believes Levine saw the bags Palacios was carrying and mistook him for a homeless person.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
The doctors at Daso include an octogenarian who once mistook fat for an appendix and other doctors whose board certifications appear to be overstated.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
In September 2018, Guyger mistook Jean’s apartment for her own.
—Jane Harper, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
Censori confirmed one part of earlier testimony — that Kardashian was reportedly perturbed when another employee mistook Censori for Kardashian during a visit to the house.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Others mistook Caesar’s top-down approach for a desire to replace the Republic with a monarchy.
—Paul Vanderbroeck, Big Think, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistook
Verb
-
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.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The crowd’s reaction, like so much collective behavior in Japan, could easily be misunderstood by outsiders.—
Joshua Hunt,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Even so, the idea seemed misjudged.—
Christopher Tayler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
In the end, McAdams’ sexiness isn’t incidental, but integral to how she’s been misjudged.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And now New Idea is reporting that Baker’s ex, Rebecca Rigg, who is very close to Kidman, is a bit confused by the situation.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In addition, DraftKings argues that consumers aren’t confused by DraftKings’ use of March Madness.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Minnesota's Anthony Edwards (right knee inflammation) missed his sixth straight game.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Clifford had missed the previous two games with a left midfoot sprain.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Kratom poisonings are probably underestimated due to the reliance on self-reports and because of insufficient testing, the study researchers and other experts agreed.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
-
There are so many women that are underestimated, so many women that present themselves in ways that people can find distracting or make assumptions about because of it.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mistook.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistook. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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