mishear

verb

mis·​hear ˌmis-ˈhir How to pronounce mishear (audio)
misheard ˌmis-ˈhərd How to pronounce mishear (audio) ; mishearing ˌmis-ˈhir-iŋ How to pronounce mishear (audio)

transitive verb

: to hear wrongly

intransitive verb

: to misunderstand what is heard

Examples of mishear in a Sentence

You misheard me. I said I was feeling anxious, not angry. I must have misheard the instructions. I misheard “mother” as “mutter.”
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
These assistants regularly misunderstand, mishear, and sometimes just don’t listen at all. Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 14 June 2024 She's confused: Did Adrian mishear something or is Brayden being manipulative? Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 4 July 2023 The people in her stories mishear and misunderstand one another, indulge in compulsive wordplay and defiant corniness. Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 12 June 2023 If men often mishear women’s ritual indirectness as lacking confidence (or even competence), women often misinterpret less indirect rituals as overbearing—and also lacking in confidence. Deborah Tannen, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2016 Now, don’t mishear me. San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2022 Biden didn’t seem to mishear the question. Stephen Collinson, CNN, 19 Sep. 2022 Responding, Thompson defended the profession and appeared either to mishear the host or not know who Sean Bean was. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 11 Aug. 2022 In roughly 150 of the recordings, the broadcaster says the assistant appears to have activated incorrectly after mishearing its wake word. Casey Newton, The Verge, 12 July 2019

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of mishear was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near mishear

Cite this Entry

“Mishear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mishear. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on mishear

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!