mistake

- 9 dictionary results

mis⋅take

[mi-steyk]

noun, verb, -took, -tak⋅en, -tak⋅ing.

–noun

1.	an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.

2.	a misunderstanding or misconception.

–verb (used with object)

3.	to regard or identify wrongly as something or someone else: I mistook him for the mayor.

4.	to understand, interpret, or evaluate wrongly; misunderstand; misinterpret.

–verb (used without object)

5.	to be in error.

—Idiom

6.	and no mistake, for certain; surely: He's an honorable person, and no mistake.

Origin:
1300–30; ME mistaken (v.) < ON mistaka to take in error. See mis- ¹ , take

Related forms:

mis⋅tak⋅er, noun

mis⋅tak⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. inaccuracy, erratum, fault, oversight. Mistake, blunder, error, slip refer to deviations from right, accuracy, correctness, or truth. A mistake, grave or trivial, is caused by bad judgment or a disregard of rule or principle: It was a mistake to argue. A blunder is a careless, stupid, or gross mistake in action or speech, suggesting awkwardness, heedlessness, or ignorance: Through his blunder the message was lost. An error (often interchanged with mistake) is an unintentional wandering or deviation from accuracy, or right conduct: an error in addition. A slip is usually a minor mistake made through haste or carelessness: a slip of the tongue. 4. misconceive, misjudge, err.

Antonyms:
2. understanding.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To mistake

mis·take (mĭ-stāk')

An error or fault resulting from defective judgment, deficient knowledge, or carelessness.
A misconception or misunderstanding.

v. mis·took (mĭ-stŏŏk'), mis·tak·en (mĭ-stā'kən), mis·tak·ing, mis·takes

v. tr.

To understand wrongly; misinterpret: mistook my politeness for friendliness.
To recognize or identify incorrectly: He mistook her for her sister.

v. intr.
To make a mistake; err.

[From Middle English mistaken, to misunderstand, from Old Norse mistaka, to take in error : mis-, wrongly; see mei-¹ in Indo-European roots + taka, to take.]
mis·tak'er n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Mistake

Mis*take"\, v. t. To make or form amiss; to spoil in making. "Limping possibilities of mismade human nature." --Mrs. Browning.

Mistake

Mis*take"\, v. t. [imp. & obs. p. p. Mistook; p. p. Mistaken; p. pr. & vb. n. Mistaking.] [Pref. mis- + take: cf. Icel. mistaka.]

1. To take or choose wrongly. [Obs. or R.] --Shak.

2. To take in a wrong sense; to misunderstand misapprehend, or misconceive; as, to mistake a remark; to mistake one's meaning. --Locke.

My father's purposes have been mistook. --Shak.

3. To substitute in thought or perception; as, to mistake one person for another.

A man may mistake the love of virtue for the practice of it. --Johnson.

4. To have a wrong idea of in respect of character, qualities, etc.; to misjudge.

Mistake me not so much, To think my poverty is treacherous. --Shak.

Mistake

Mis*take"\, v. i. To err in knowledge, perception, opinion, or judgment; to commit an unintentional error.

Servants mistake, and sometimes occasion misunderstanding among friends. --Swift.

Mistake

Mis*take"\, n. 1. An apprehending wrongly; a misconception; a misunderstanding; a fault in opinion or judgment; an unintentional error of conduct.

Infallibility is an absolute security of the understanding from all possibility of mistake. --Tillotson.

2. (Law) Misconception, error, which when non-negligent may be ground for rescinding a contract, or for refusing to perform it.

No mistake, surely; without fail; as, it will happen at the appointed time, and no mistake. [Low]

Syn: Blunder; error; bull. See Blunder.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : mistake

Spanish: confundir,

German: verwechseln,

Japanese: 間違える

More Translations »

mistake (v.)

c.1330, from O.N. mistaka "take in error, miscarry," from mis- "wrongly" (see mis- (1)) + taka "take." The noun is attested from 1638.

Main Entry: mis·take
Function: noun
1 : an unintentional error esp. in legal procedure or form that does not indicate bad faith and that commonly warrants excuse or relief by the court mistake, or irregularity> mistake>
2 : an erroneous belief: as a : a state of mind that is not in accordance with the facts existing at the time a contract is made and that may be a ground for the rescission or reformation of the contract b : a misconception at the time of an offense alleged by a defendant

mistake of fact
1 : a mistake regarding a fact or facts esp. that significantly affects the performance of a contract
2 : a criminal defense that attempts to eliminate culpability on the ground that the defendant operated from an unintentional misunderstanding of fact rather than from a criminal purpose

mistake of law
: a mistake involving the misunderstanding or incorrect application of law in regard to an act, contract, transaction, determination, or state of affairs; also : a criminal defense alleging such a mistake
NOTE: In both contract and criminal law a mistake of law is a weaker ground for relief or acquittal than a mistake of fact.

mutual mistake
: a mistake common to both parties to a contract who were in agreement about the purpose or terms of the contract mutual mistake>

unilateral mistake
: a mistake on the part of one party to a contract that is usually not a ground for rescission or reformation unless one party stands to profit or benefit improperly from the mistake

mistake

In addition to the idiom beginning with mistake, also see by mistake; make no mistake.

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