mistake

UK: /mɪˈsteɪk/ US: /mɪˈsteɪk/ ,(mi stāk′)

Inflections of 'mistake' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

mistakes

v 3rd person singular

mistaking

v pres p

mistook

v past

mistaken

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

mis•take /mɪˈsteɪk/   n., v., -took, -tak•en, -tak•ing. 
n. [countable]

1. an error in action or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, etc.:
   too many mistakes in grammar.

v. 

2. to identify wrongly as something or someone else:
   [~ + object + for + object] I mistook her for the mayor.
3. to understand or judge wrongly:
   [~ + object] I must have mistaken the date.

Idioms

4. by mistake, accidentally:
   set off the alarm by mistake.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

mis•take  (mi stāk′), n., v., -took, -tak•en, -tak•ing. 
n. 

1. an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.
2. a misunderstanding or misconception.
3. Idioms and no mistake, for certain;
   surely:
   He's an honorable person, and no mistake.

v.t. 

4. to regard or identify wrongly as something or someone else:
   I mistook him for the mayor.
5. to understand, interpret, or evaluate wrongly;
   misunderstand;
   misinterpret.

v.i. 

6. to be in error.

• Old Norse mistaka to take in error. See mis-¹, take
• Middle English mistaken (verb, verbal) 1300–30

mis•tak′er, n. 
mis•tak′ing•ly, adv. 
Synonyms

• 1. inaccuracy, erratum, fault, oversight.
  Mistake, blunder, error, slip refer to deviations from right, accuracy, correctness, or truth. A mistake, grave or trivial, is caused by bad judgment or a disregard of rule or principle:
  It was a mistake to argue.
  A blunder is a careless, stupid, or gross mistake in action or speech, suggesting awkwardness, heedlessness, or ignorance:
  Through his blunder the message was lost.
  An error (often interchanged with mistake) is an unintentional wandering or deviation from accuracy, or right conduct:
  an error in addition.
  A slip is usually a minor mistake made through haste or carelessness:
  a slip of the tongue.
• 5. misconceive, misjudge, err.

Antonyms

• 2. understanding.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

mistake / mɪˈsteɪk/ noun

1. an error or blunder in action, opinion, or judgment
2. a misconception or misunderstanding

verb ( -takes, -taking, -took, -taken)

1. (transitive) to misunderstand; misinterpret: she mistook his meaning
2. (transitive) followed by for: to take (for), interpret (as), or confuse (with): she mistook his direct manner for honesty
3. (transitive) to choose badly or incorrectly: he mistook his path
4. (intransitive) to make a mistake in action, opinion, judgment, etc

Etymology: 13th Century (meaning: to do wrong, err): from Old Norse mistaka to take erroneously