misdirect

[ mis-di-rekt ]

verb (used with object)

1. to direct or address wrongly or incorrectly:

   to misdirect a person; to misdirect a letter.

misdirect

/ ˌmɪsdɪˈrɛkt /

verb

1. to give (a person) wrong directions or instructions
2. to address (a letter, parcel, etc) wrongly

Derived Forms

• ˌmisdiˈrection, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of misdirect¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; mis- ¹ + direct

Example Sentences

The book digs into early interviews with Carson and uses these, a deep reading of “The Tonight Show” and interviews with ex-wife Joanna Carson, as well as many other friends, family and co-workers, to make the case that Carson’s early and devoted love of magic — the sleight of hand, the misdirect — remained the ruling force of his life.

From Los Angeles Times

“That one is sung by a man, as a bit of a misdirect,” Schaeffer said.

From Los Angeles Times

"While prior attacks could misdirect a single branch or the first instance of a branch executed multiple times, we now have such precise control that we could misdirect the 732nd instance of a branch taken thousands of times," said Tullsen.

From Science Daily

We can’t afford to let the banks misdirect us again.

From Slate

The thieves printed fake shipping labels and paid off employees at UPS and Nike to “deliberately misdirect or redirect” cartons of shoes to locations across L.A., according to detectives.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• betray
• cheat
• deceive
• defraud
• delude
• dupe
• entice
• fool
• fudge
• hoodwink
• lie
• misguide
• misinform
• misrepresent
• tempt