mismatch

1 of 2

noun

mis·​match ˈmis-ˌmach 

plural mismatches

: a faulty or unsuitable match

New England plays St. Louis in Super Bowl XXXVI this evening, and on the face of it, this game is a mismatch, a blowout waiting to happen.

—William C. Rhoden

She is blood type O, and the donor heart and lungs she received in the first operation were blood type A. That mismatch triggered rejection by her immune system.

—Dan Vergano

mismatch

2 of 2

verb

mis·​match ˌmis-ˈmach 

mismatched; mismatching

transitive verb

: to match (two people or things) wrongly or unsuitably

Let's say that you are afraid of boring your audience. One cause is mismatching the audience's need and the level of detail you provide.

—Liz Reyer

Examples of mismatch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Mine is a small and, currently, pretty sparse space surrounded by a mismatch of cheap, wire fencing and two different colored mulches. —Susan Vollenweider, Kansas City Star, 19 June 2024

While 2022 was the peak of the art market coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, rate increases, geopolitical conflict, as well as a measurable amount of volatility in financial markets led to the mismatch in expectations, according to Watson. —Karen K. Ho, ARTnews.com, 18 June 2024

Verb

Lively paired the bold dress with sparkling Christian Louboutin heels and mismatched jewelry, including a variety of rings and earrings evoking Bloom's eclectic style from the movie. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 15 June 2024

Saraceno suggested the move is intended to prevent police partners having mismatched uniforms. —Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1606, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1582, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

mismatch

verb

mis·​match

(ˈ)mis-ˈmach

: to match unsuitably or badly

mismatch noun