mis·match
ˈmis-ˌmach 
plural mismatches
: a faulty or unsuitable match
New England plays St. Louis in Super Bowl XXXVI this evening, and on the face of it, this game is a mismatch, a blowout waiting to happen.—
William C. Rhoden
William C. RhodenShe is blood type O, and the donor heart and lungs she received in the first operation were blood type A. That mismatch triggered rejection by her immune system.—Dan Vergano
Dan Vergano
mis·match
ˌmis-ˈmach
mismatched; mismatching
: to match (two people or things) wrongly or unsuitably
Let's say that you are afraid of boring your audience. One cause is mismatching the audience's need and the level of detail you provide.—Liz Reyer
Liz ReyerExamples of mismatch in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
Defense is going to be key to the Aztecs’ success, particularly against taller teams that want to create mismatches with their guards down low.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Dec. 2025
John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
Another approach that works is to mismatch types of items; think a formal double-breasted blazer with sporty shorts, or a sporty anorak with a more feminine skirt.
—Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mismatch
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Noun
The company likely also suffered from repeat visitor retention, Tokyo real estate pressures, and a mismatch between experience depth and ticket economics.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
Defense is going to be key to the Aztecs’ success, particularly against taller teams that want to create mismatches with their guards down low.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Dec. 2025
Verb
Guests have the option to add pairings for house or premium sake ($80-$98), served in fun, mismatched cups with brands that are equally fun (like Tamagawa Time Machine, an heirloom amber sake).
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
Another approach that works is to mismatch types of items; think a formal double-breasted blazer with sporty shorts, or a sporty anorak with a more feminine skirt.
—Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mismatch
Cite this Entry
“Mismatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mismatch. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
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