mishear

American

[mis-heer] / mɪsˈhɪər /

verb (used with object)

misheard, mishearing

to hear incorrectly or imperfectly.

to mishear a remark.

mishear British

/ ˌmɪsˈhɪə /

verb

to fail to hear correctly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mishear

before 1000; Middle English misheren, Old English mishīeran. See mis- ¹, hear

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They don't want to put themselves in situations where they may mishear or seem disengaged, disinterested or unintelligent.

From Salon • Dec. 10, 2022

I will tell you this: They are always listening for the wake word, and tech companies admit smart assistants mishear commands more often than any of us would like.

From Fox News • Oct. 16, 2021

“Did we all mishear, or is this spokesperson really so shameless?”

From Reuters • Feb. 10, 2021

People love to mishear “Imagine” as a ditty about how our righteous beliefs excuse us from taking necessary action.

From Washington Post • Jun. 3, 2020

Honda’s voice assistant is also difficult to use: it sounds robotic and monotone, and would often mishear my commands.

From The Verge • Oct. 12, 2017

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023