mistake
To understand wrongly, taking one thing or person for another.
Example
“Sorry, I mistook you for my brother. You look very similar.”
Other meanings
To misunderstand (someone).
To commit an unintentional error; to do or think something wrong.
Related words
- mistakability
- mistakable
- mistakeable
- mistaker
- unmistakable
- mistake windmills for giants
- mistake fare
Example sentences
Word history
From Old Norse "mistaka" (to take in error, to miscarry).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “mistake” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.