mistake
/mɪˈsteɪk/ (bre, ipa) · /mɪˈsteɪk/ (ame, ipa) · /mə-ˈstāk/ (ame, mw)
mistake — noun
- mistakesingular
- mistakesplural
1. something you do, say, or believe that turns out to be wrong, causing a result y
something you do, say, or believe that turns out to be wrong, causing a result you did not plan or hope for.
Christopher made a serious mistake when he sent the confidential email to the wrong client.
collocation: make + mistake
Eli made a mistake when he painted the kitchen walls bright orange instead of cream.
It was a mistake to leave the front door unlocked while we were on holiday.
The waiter's mistake cost the restaurant a loyal customer who had eaten there for years.
Nora admitted her mistake right away and offered to redo the whole report.
- success
a result that achieves what was planned or hoped for
- achievement
something done well through effort
文法句型
make + mistake
mistake + to-infinitive (it is a mistake to...)
用法筆記
Commonly used in the pattern "make a mistake." The adjective form is "mistaken" (e.g., a mistaken belief).
常見錯誤
2. happening without being planned or meant to happen; used when someone does somet
happening without being planned or meant to happen; used when someone does something accidentally.
Yan accidentally took Kabir's jacket by mistake because the two coats looked almost identical.
fixed phrase: by mistake
I deleted the entire presentation file by mistake and had to start again from scratch.
Someone picked up Talia's umbrella by mistake at the concert hall last night.
Sirin grabbed the wrong suitcase by mistake at the airport baggage claim.
- by accident
the most common alternative; identical in meaning and register
- inadvertently
more formal; used in writing and official contexts
- unintentionally
formal; emphasises that the result was not planned
- on purpose
doing something deliberately or intentionally
- intentionally
done with a clear plan or aim
文法句型
by mistake (as adverbial phrase)
用法筆記
"By mistake" is a fixed phrase that functions as an adverb. It usually comes at the end of a sentence. Do not confuse with "by accident," which has the same meaning but works slightly differently in sentence position.
常見錯誤
mistake — verb
- mistakepresent simple I / you / we / they
- mistakes3rd person singular
- mistaking-ing form
- mistookpast simple
- mistakenpast participle
1. to think that one person or thing is a different person or thing, especially bec
to think that one person or thing is a different person or thing, especially because they look or seem similar — for example, mistaking a stranger for a friend in a crowd, or mistaking salt for sugar in a recipe.
Ignacio mistook the bag of sugar for salt and poured it into the soup.
pattern: mistake A for B
In the dim hallway, the children mistook a stranger for their uncle.
Dario's helpful nature was often mistaken for shyness by people who barely knew him.
I mistook Talia's silence for anger, but she was simply exhausted after work.
- confuse with
slightly less precise; can mean mixing up two things without necessarily thinking one IS the other
- mix up with
informal; often used when two similar-looking people or items are involved
文法句型
mistake + object + for + noun phrase
用法筆記
This verb is most commonly used in the pattern "mistake someone/something for someone/something else." The passive form "be mistaken for" is also very frequent. In informal British English, "mistake" alone (without "for") is sometimes used to mean "misunderstand," but this is much less common.