mistake
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
How often you will meet it
Rank 1,423 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 12,887 times across 155,168 chapters — 0.006% of every word in the library.
What it means
noun
- a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention also: error, fault he made a bad mistakeshe was quick to point out my errors
- an understanding of something that is not correct also: misunderstanding, misapprehension he wasn't going to admit his mistakemake no mistake about his intentions
- part of a statement that is not correct also: error the book was full of errors
verb
- identify incorrectly also: misidentify Don't mistake her for her twin sister
- to make a mistake or be incorrect also: err, slip
mistake in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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I got into the trap by mistake.
Uncle Wiggily's Travels · Howard Roger Garis · Chapter 1
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The touches of seriousness are impossible, to mistake.
Elizabethan Sonnet Cycles: Phillis - Licia · Martha Foote [Editor] Crow · Chapter 1
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But this is a mistake; nothing of the kind was done or attempted.
The Red Record Tabulated Statistics · Ida B. Wells-Barnett · Chapter 1
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Any symptoms going to show that patient might mistake another man's wife for his own.
Punchinello, Volume 1, No. 08, May 21, 1870 · Various · Chapter 1
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And he continued his discourse upon trees, hoping that Joseph would never again mistake a sycamore for a chestnut.
The Brook Kerith: A Syrian story · George Moore · Chapter 1