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

Florida converted two of the miscues into 10 points while the other ended the Seminoles’ best drive when James wrestled away the ball from tailback Lawrance Toafili at the Gators’ 20 and UF leading 7-0. —Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Dec. 2024

The rest of the afternoon was filled with miscues, the kind that separate good teams from bad teams, and right now, the Colts look like a bad team. —James Boyd, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 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