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
Lars Daniel, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
The mismatch in expertise extends beyond Witkoff to the rest of the US negotiating team too.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025
The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Photo: Interiors by Kat He was inspired by Japanese wabi-sabi — the tradition of elevating the broken or mismatched, like bonding broken pottery with lines of gold.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mismatch
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Noun
This living document approach addresses the fundamental mismatch between digital technology’s pace and traditional licensing and certification cycles.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
The mismatch in expertise extends beyond Witkoff to the rest of the US negotiating team too.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025
Verb
The result in the first half was mismatched groups on the floor, which led to a 6-0 Clippers run to begin the second quarter.
—The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Photo: Interiors by Kat He was inspired by Japanese wabi-sabi — the tradition of elevating the broken or mismatched, like bonding broken pottery with lines of gold.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 21 Apr. 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 2 May. 2025.
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