misconstrue
verb
mis·con·strue
ˌmis-kən-ˈstrü 
misconstrued; misconstruing
1
: to interpret (something, such as a statement or action) wrongly : misinterpret
misconstrued her words/meaning/silence
He does not want his real name used in the newspaper because even the most innocent statement could be misconstrued here and lead to trouble, he says.—
Lynne Duke
Lynne DukeI instantly turned away, lest he should see and misconstrue my emotion.—Anne Brontë
Anne Brontë2
: to misinterpret the meaning, intention, or character of (someone)
… it is the post-Vietnam revisionists who have most ironically misconstrued [Herman] Melville.—Frederick Crews
Frederick Crews… a sad sack whom no one would misconstrue as charming.—Karen Karbo
Karen KarboSynonyms
Examples of misconstrue in a Sentence
claimed that the press had misconstrued her comments
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet none of this should be misconstrued as an endorsement of Trump’s tactics.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025
Shortly after dropping the eyebrow-raising music video, the Emmy winner took to social media to call out TMZ for misconstruing a verse.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 17 Jan. 2025
That is not to be misconstrued as thinking Newcastle have been, or indeed are, actively looking to sell him.
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
One of the most common forms of misinformation continues to be footage taken out of context, including old videos presented as new or aspects of the video being misconstrued.
—Rhona Tarrant, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for misconstrue 
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.
Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025
Shortly after dropping the eyebrow-raising music video, the Emmy winner took to social media to call out TMZ for misconstruing a verse.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 17 Jan. 2025
That is not to be misconstrued as thinking Newcastle have been, or indeed are, actively looking to sell him.
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
One of the most common forms of misinformation continues to be footage taken out of context, including old videos presented as new or aspects of the video being misconstrued.
—Rhona Tarrant, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for misconstrue
Dictionary Entries Near misconstrue
Cite this Entry
“Misconstrue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misconstrue. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share