mishear

verb

Definition of mishearnext
as in to misunderstand

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of mishear Smart speakers have an annoying tendency to mishear, so the Google Home Speaker could be less frustrating in that way. — ArsTechnica, 17 June 2026 Host Matthew Deane called out each successful contestant by their title; however, Miss Panama Isamar Herrera appeared to mishear her own country being called over the speaker. — Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025 Gemini occasionally mishears commands or fails without a strong LTE or phone connection. — Brent Rose, Outside, 10 Oct. 2025 Likewise, transcription accuracy during post-call scenarios remains a critical bottleneck, especially when AI mishears essential details like customer names, street addresses or job descriptions. — Somil Gupta, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025 Older patients, especially, mishear instructions or are too overwhelmed by bad news to listen carefully. — David Owen, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025 These assistants regularly misunderstand, mishear, and sometimes just don’t listen at all. — Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 14 June 2024 The people in her stories mishear and misunderstand one another, indulge in compulsive wordplay and defiant corniness. — Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 12 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishear
  1. misunderstand
  2. misconstrue
  3. misread
  4. misinterpret
  5. misperceive
  6. misapprehend
Verb
  • Cuban argued that the proposal misunderstands how startup wealth works.
    — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Responding Monday to Emmanuel Acho, who criticized the idea that her ejection represented white privilege, Carrington insisted people were misunderstanding her.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of misunderstand
Verb
  • His attorneys feared Paul was trying to coax Fauci to say something under oath that could be misconstrued and used to prosecute him.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Sanchez said that the ruling had been intentionally misconstrued by migrant smugglers to convince thousands of people to cross by swimming around the border fence.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of misconstrue
Verb
  • Built In One Of The World’s Toughest Markets Japan’s reputation for caution is misread, Ooi says.
    — Jurin AI Contributor, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • In the 62nd minute, Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios-Novo misread a goal kick from Schwake and fell over, which allowed Mukhtar to gain control of the loose ball and extend Nashville's lead to 4-1.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of misread
Verb
  • Legal and other professionals unaware of the range of natural responses to trauma can easily misinterpret these behaviors as signs of lying or malingering.
    — Michele Patterson Ford, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The danger is that governments and markets grow accustomed to a Strait of Hormuz that functions only intermittently and misinterpret the stopgap as a resolution.
    — Amena Bakr, semafor.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of misinterpret
Verb
  • Perception of risks diminishes, perhaps not entirely, but enough to misperceive the balance of challenge versus ability.
    — Christopher Ferguson, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
  • According to the researchers, these misperceptions may stop people from speaking up about their concerns and cause policymakers to misperceive how much their constituents care.
    — Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2023
Definition of misperceive
Verb
  • That is true of leaders anywhere, but Israel’s history has predisposed some of its policymakers to focus excessively on day-to-day survival and to misapprehend or ignore strategic dynamics as a result.
    — Andrew P. Miller, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2025
  • But would her students, turned on everywhere by the dogma of political correctness, misapprehend Haynes’s aim?
    — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 June 2023
Definition of misapprehend

Browse Nearby Words

mishaps
mishear
misheard
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Cite this Entry

“Mishear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishear. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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