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
Sixteen Ramos, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
Claim processing systems reject legitimate claims due to data mismatches.
—Tammy Hawes, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
Yet, despite its biodiversity, protection is mismatched — while some countries (like Costa Rica and Colombia) have established large MPAs, others (including El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras) still protect less than 10% of their waters.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mismatch
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Noun
By resolving payment mismatches, ESCROWPay™ aims to eliminate the costly burden of inaccuracies, lost checks, and refunds, a problem that has cost carriers millions each quarter.
—Sixteen Ramos, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
Claim processing systems reject legitimate claims due to data mismatches.
—Tammy Hawes, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
Each duo might be destined or mismatched; the question is how to discern the difference.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
Yet, despite its biodiversity, protection is mismatched — while some countries (like Costa Rica and Colombia) have established large MPAs, others (including El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras) still protect less than 10% of their waters.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 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 21 Sep. 2025.
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