miscue

1 of 2

noun

mis·​cue ˌmis-ˈkyü How to pronounce miscue (audio)
ˈmis-ˌkyü
Synonyms of miscuenext
1
: a faulty stroke in billiards in which the cue slips
2
: mistake, slip

miscue

2 of 2

verb

miscued; miscuing; miscues

intransitive verb

: to make a miscue

Synonyms of miscue

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of miscue in a Sentence

Noun the slightest miscue could make the trapeze artist lose his grip and fall to the mat below
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Hall of Fame shortstop and long-time Yankees captain Derek Jeter knows all about playing under a microscope in New York, where every good move is hailed as great and even a tiny miscue is cause for alarm. — Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 But Jackson took it more personally, rattling off the list of his miscues when speaking with reporters afterward. — Joseph Person, New York Times, 30 July 2026
Verb
Kokcu miscued his shot but Akturkoglu stole in at the backpost to score. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2026 The Heat’s attempts to unlock Herro contributed to their six first-quarter turnovers, miscues Cleveland turned into 11 points. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for miscue

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1889, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of miscue was in 1838

Rhymes for miscue

See All Rhymes for miscue

Browse Nearby Words

miscreed
miscue
miscut
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Miscue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miscue. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

miscue

1 of 2 noun
mis·​cue (ˈ)mis-ˈkyü How to pronounce miscue (audio)
1
: a faulty stroke in billiards in which the cue slips
2
: mistake entry 2 sense 2, slip

miscue

2 of 2 verb
1
: to make a miscue
2
a
: to miss a stage cue
b
: to answer a wrong cue

More from Merriam-Webster on miscue

Nglish: Translation of miscue for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of torpor

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All