Basic+ Word of the Day: mistake

mistake (noun, verb) past tense: mistook

A mistake is something you do that isn’t correct.

• I sometimes make grammar mistakes when I write in Spanish.

If you mistake someone for something or someone else, it means that you thought that they were a different person.

• I mistook him for a policeman because he was wearing a uniform.

Common uses

When we do something that we didn’t want or mean to do, we often say that we did it by mistake. For example, “I sent you the wrong document by mistake.”

In pop culture

This dance is called the Mistake Waltz. How many mistakes do the dancers make?

There are other meanings of mistake.