misinterpret

verb

mis·​in·​ter·​pret ˌmi-sᵊn-ˈtər-prət How to pronounce misinterpret (audio)
-pət
misinterpreted; misinterpreting; misinterprets
Synonyms of misinterpretnext

transitive verb

1
: to explain wrongly
His comment on the speech misinterprets the speaker's meaning.
2
: to understand wrongly
Their silence should not be misinterpreted as consent.

Synonyms of misinterpret

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Examples of misinterpret in a Sentence

He claims that his statements have been misinterpreted by the media. Her silence should not be misinterpreted as consent.
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.
When a busy thread frequently goes to sleep for short periods, the current AMD driver can misinterpret that behavior as a signal to lower its average performance target. — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 29 July 2026 The financial industry often misinterprets these as aspirational virtues rather than recognizing them as intelligent responses to systemic pressures. — Kristin Vance Richards, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 One is that Err Content has allegedly misinterpreted the screenshots since—the NFL argues—the relaying of video content occurs not through the NFL app but rather because of software native to the smartphones. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 July 2026 The vessel was out of Stockton, and bystanders misinterpreted steam coming from it as smoke, officials said. — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for misinterpret

Word History

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of misinterpret was in 1547

Rhymes for misinterpret

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Browse Nearby Words

misintelligence
misinterpret
misinterpretable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Misinterpret.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misinterpret. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

misinterpret

verb
mis·​in·​ter·​pret ˌmis-ᵊn-ˈtər-prət How to pronounce misinterpret (audio)
-pət
: to understand or explain wrongly
misinterpretation
-ˌtər-prə-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce misinterpret (audio)
-pə-ˈtā-
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on misinterpret

Nglish: Translation of misinterpret for Spanish Speakers

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