misdeed

noun

mis·​deed ˌmis-ˈdēd 

: a wrong deed : offense

Synonyms

• breach
• crime
• debt
• error
• lawbreaking
• malefaction
• misdoing
• offense
• offence
• sin
• transgression
• trespass
• violation
• wrongdoing

Examples of misdeed in a Sentence

She threatened to expose to the public the misdeeds he had committed.

punished for her misdeeds by the church elders

Recent Examples on the Web

Several witnesses expressed frustration that there was a culture of covering up misdeeds by falsifying operations reports. —Mark Landler, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025

Throughout the year, shares were sensitive to news on Wells Fargo’s progress with its past regulatory misdeeds. —Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 30 Dec. 2024

Featuring Ted Danson as an adrift widower who becomes a spy investigating possible misdeeds at a San Francisco retirement home, A Man on the Inside could have played as Amour meets Grumpy Old Men, which is to say a very bad idea. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Dec. 2024

Ancient History Valya didn’t murder her rivals and cover up her misdeeds just to watch her power slip away, yet that’s exactly what is happening. —Britina Cheng, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

misdeed

noun

mis·​deed (ˈ)mis-ˈdēd 

: an evil or illegal deed