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

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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
After only forcing 10 turnovers in the Game 1 loss, Atlanta has turned up its pressure and that's led to easy points off its opponents miscues. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 Bijan Robinson saw his 22-year-old teammate was down, upset and deterred after a week spent working to prevent miscues led only to a harsh lesson about the razor thin margin for error in the NFL. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 20 Oct. 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 27 Oct. 2026.

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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
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