miscue

1 of 2

noun

mis·​cue ˌmis-ˈkyü 

ˈmis-ˌkyü

1

: a faulty stroke in billiards in which the cue slips

2

: mistake, slip

miscue

2 of 2

verb

miscued; miscuing; miscues

intransitive verb

: to make a miscue

Synonyms

Noun

• blunder
• bobble
• boo-boo
• boob [British]
• brick
• clanger [British]
• clinker
• error
• fault
• flub
• fluff
• fumble
• gaff
• gaffe
• goof
• inaccuracy
• lapse
• misstep
• mistake
• oversight
• screwup
• slip
• slipup
• stumble
• trip

Examples of miscue in a Sentence

Noun

the slightest miscue could make the trapeze artist lose his grip and fall to the mat below

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Nets actually capitalized on numerous Cleveland miscues early and found themselves up 12-5 against the best team in the Eastern Conference with 8:14 left in the first quarter. —C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 17 Dec. 2024

Seattle had a ton of special teams miscues in the first half that helped the Jets take advantage early. —Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 1 Dec. 2024

Verb

Shortly afterwards, the Juve no.10 miscued on a cross from the lively Andrea Cambiaso, only for the Bianconeri to recreate the opportunity just minutes later through Conceicao and this time Yildiz would make no mistake. —Adam Digby, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

While Granada capitalized on De La Salle miscues, the Matadors’ defense played a near-flawless game. —Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 30 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1889, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

miscue

1 of 2 noun

mis·​cue (ˈ)mis-ˈkyü 

1

: a faulty stroke in billiards in which the cue slips

2

: mistake entry 2 sense 2, slip

miscue

2 of 2 verb

1

: to make a miscue

2

a

: to miss a stage cue

b

: to answer a wrong cue