misidentify

verb

mis·​iden·​ti·​fy ˌmis-ī-ˈden-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce misidentify (audio)
-ə-ˈden-
misidentified; misidentifying

transitive verb

: to identify (someone or something) incorrectly
… a coroner apparently misidentified the bullet he removed from the victim, stating that its caliber differed from that of the bullet entered as evidence against the known shooter.David Fisher
While examining the American Museum's collection, I came across a mongoose specimen that was clearly misidentified.W. Chris Wozencraft

Examples of misidentify in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This is because a VPN may route your connection through a server in a different location, causing the app to misidentify your current position. Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 25 Dec. 2024 Unintended consequences, such as AI misidentifying targets or being weaponized in unforeseen ways, could have catastrophic outcomes. Max (chong) Li, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024 Debra Tice's children woke her up when images of Missouri resident Travis Timmerman began circulating on social media, misidentifying him as Tice. Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024 Her children woke her up when images of Timmerman began circulating on social media misidentifying him as Tice. Fox News, 15 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for misidentify 

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of misidentify was in 1867

Dictionary Entries Near misidentify

Cite this Entry

“Misidentify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misidentify. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

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