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mistake
- definition
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/mɪˈsteɪk/ 
| singular | mistake |
| plural | mistakes |
- 1something that you have not done correctly, or something you say or think that is not correctmake a mistake:
I won’t make the same mistake again!
Don’t worry: it’s an easy mistake to make.
correct a mistake:It’s much easier to correct mistakes at an early stage.
admit a mistake:I wish you’d admitted your mistake earlier.
- 2something you do that you later wish you had not done, because it causes a lot of problemsa big/terrible/serious mistake:
You’re making a big mistake.
a costly/expensive mistake:The wrong choice of computer could prove a costly mistake.
the biggest mistake of something:Marrying him had been the biggest mistake of her life.
it would be a mistake to do something:It would be a mistake to think that the trouble is over.
make the mistake of doing something:I made the mistake of inviting Jennifer to the party.
Collocations: mistake
▪ bad, big, careless, costly, deliberate, disastrous, dreadful, expensive, fatal, grave, serious, terrible, tragic
phrases
by mistake
learn from your mistakes
make no mistake (about it)
spokenno mistake
mainly British spokenthere must be some mistake
spokenwe all make mistakes
or everyone makes mistakes spoken
- She stumbled over the speech.
- You tripped up there: what were you thinking of?
- I fell flat on my face the last time I tried.
- She didn’t take a single wrong step.
- I was completely wrong-footed.
- He fumbled for something useful to say.
- They made a clumsy attempt to improve the situation.
- It was a slip of the tongue/pen.
- I seem to have put my foot in my mouth.
This is the American English definition of mistake. View British English definition of mistake.
Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.
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