mistake Meaning & Definition
What Does Mistake Mean?
Mistake is a verb that means To understand wrongly, taking one thing or person for another. It is also used to mean To misunderstand (someone). As a noun, it means An error. As a noun, it means An error; a blunder.
Mistake: Key Facts
| Part of speech | verb, noun |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /mɪˈsteɪk/ |
| Synonyms | slip, confound and error |
| Plural | mistakes |
| Verb forms | mistakes, mistaking, mistook, mistaken |
Mistake Definition (Verb)
- To understand wrongly, taking one thing or person for another.
Sorry, I mistook you for my brother. You look very similar.
- To misunderstand (someone).
- To commit an unintentional error; to do or think something wrong.
- To take or choose wrongly.
Mistake as a Noun
- An error.
There were too many mistakes in the test that, unfortunately, made you fail.
- A pitch which was intended to be pitched in a hard-to-hit location, but instead ends up in an easy-to-hit place.
Noun
- An error; a blunder.
Synonyms of Mistake
Mistake synonyms and antonyms →Mistake in a Sentence
Sorry, I mistook you for my brother. You look very similar.
Don't mistake my kindness for weakness.
There were too many mistakes in the test that, unfortunately, made you fail.
He always made mistakes on purpose.
Word Forms & Grammar
mistake (third-person singular simple present mistakes, present participle mistaking, simple past mistook, past participle mistaken)
mistake (plural mistakes)
Words That Rhyme With Mistake
Origin of Mistake
Origin 1: From Middle English mistaken, from Old Norse mistaka (“to take in error, to miscarry”); equivalent to mis- + take. Cognate with Icelandic mistaka (“to mistake”), Swedish missta (“to mistake”) (before apocope misstaga).
Origin 2: The noun, which replaced earlier mistaking, is derived from the verb. Compare Swedish misstag (“mistake”, noun), Faroese mistak (“mitake”, noun), Icelandic mistak (“mistake”, noun).
Quick Answers About Mistake
Is mistake a verb or a noun?
Mistake is mainly used as a verb, but it can also be used as a noun.
What is another word for mistake?
You can replace mistake with words such as slip, confound and error. See the full list of mistake synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of mistake?
The plural of mistake is mistakes.
What is the past tense of mistake?
The past tense of mistake is mistook and the past participle is mistaken. The present participle is mistaking.