wrong1 adjectivewrong2 adverbwrong3 nounwrong4 verb
wrongwrong1 /rɒŋ $ rɒːŋ/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective 
WORD ORIGINwrong1
Origin:
1100-1200 Old Norse rangr ‘not correct or as planned’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Alice felt she had made the wrong decision.
- Dave's wrong for this job. He doesn't have enough patience.
- Do you think violence is always wrong, even in self-defence?
- For every answer that is wrong, you lose five points.
- His brand of nationalism is wrong for our party and wrong for the country.
- I don't deny that what I did was wrong, but I had no choice at the time.
- I think you picked the wrong time to call her.
- I tried to phone him, but it was the wrong number.
- I was taught that abortion is wrong, even though it's not illegal.
- I wouldn't like you to get the wrong impression -- I do enjoy the course, but I just find it very hard work.
- It's wrong the way they treat that poor animal.
- It is wrong to treat people this way -- they should be given a chance to defend themselves.
- It was wrong of Sophie to take the money without asking.
- Mom always told us that stealing was wrong.
- Myrna accidentally took the wrong medicine.
- People used to believe that the world was flat, but we now know this is wrong.
- Someone had moved the road sign so it was pointing in the wrong direction.
- The files had been put back in the wrong order.
- The schedule must be wrong.
- There's nothing wrong with making money, is there?
- And you're always dead wrong.
- I must have been wrong I suppose.
- It would make so many others wrong.
- One wrong move, we realized with horror, and the doors could come tumbling down.
- The other members of the joint chiefs agreed with him that the Indochina conflict was the wrong war in the wrong place.
- Was I wrong to make a fuss?
- When your forecasts are significantly wrong, find out why.
THESAURUS
not correct or right – used about facts, answers etc, or people: · For every wrong answer, you lose five points.· The figure he gave me was wrong.· I think you’re wrong about that.
something that is incorrect is wrong because someone has made a mistake. Incorrect is more formal than wrong: · I’m afraid these prices are incorrect.· The doctor had made an incorrect diagnosis.
something that is inaccurate is not exactly right and contains mistakes: · inaccurate information· inaccurate measurements· The old maps were often inaccurate.
not based on true facts: · Are the following statements true or false?· He was accused of giving false information to the police.
[not usually before noun] not based on true facts, especially because someone is lying or guessing: · I can’t believe he said that about me. It’s completely untrue!· The allegations were untrue.
a misleading statement or piece of information makes people believe something that is wrong, especially because it does not give all the facts: · The article was very misleading.· misleading statistics
a misguided decision, belief, action etc is wrong because it is based on bad judgment or understanding: · That decision seems misguided now.· It was the consequence of a misguided economic policy.
wrong – used about ideas and beliefs. Also used about a person being wrong. You’re mistaken sounds more polite and less direct than saying you’re wrong: · She’s completely mistaken if she thinks that I don’t care about her.· a mistaken belief
Longman Language Activatorinformation/numbers/calculations etc not correct: · For every answer that is wrong, you lose five points.· I think that clock must be wrong (=showing the wrong time).get something wrong: · You must have got my email address wrong.wrong (telephone) number/address/name etc: · I tried to phone him, but it was the wrong number.· This must be the wrong address -- no one of that name lives here
facts, figures, answers etc that are incorrect are wrong because they are not the same as the correct ones: · The information about current prices was incorrect.· incorrect spelling· They discovered later that the doctor had made an incorrect diagnosis.it is incorrect to do/say something: · It's simply incorrect to say that tobacco advertising does not influence young people.
a statement or piece of information that is misleading makes people believe something that is not true, especially because it does not give all the facts: · The article was deliberately misleading, and the newspaper has apologized.· misleading statistics· The Advertising Review Board says the adverts are deliberately misleading.give a misleading impression/statement etc: · Agents often gave a false or misleading description of the houses they were selling.
information, numbers etc that are inaccurate are not exactly right or contain some mistakes: · The old maps were usually inaccurate or incomplete.· TV ratings figures are often inaccurate.· He admitted he had given the committee 'inaccurate, incomplete and unreliable information'. totally/wildly inaccurate (=very inaccurate): · Figures quoted in the article are wildly inaccurate.
: bad grammar/English/Italian etc not spoken or written correctly: · You will lose marks for bad grammar in the exam.· Robert ordered two beers in very bad Spanish.· Masanori is the worst student in the class -- his spelling's bad and his grammar's terrible.
British /be off American if a measurement, result, figure etc is out , it is wrong because the numbers have not been calculated correctly: · These sales figures must be out. We certainly haven't made that much money this year.be out by $10/50 centimetres etc: · My last bank statement was off by $60.
if someone's guess, opinion etc is way off the mark , their idea about a situation is completely wrong: · No, you're way off the mark -- he was born in 1736.
beliefs/ideas/actions etc · People used to believe that the world was flat, but we now know this is wrong.· Alice felt she had made the wrong decision.get the wrong impression · I wouldn't like you to get the wrong impression -- I do enjoy the course, but I just find it very hard work.
: mistaken idea/belief/impression etc an idea, belief etc that people believe is right but is in fact wrong - use this as a polite way of saying someone is wrong: · Many people have the mistaken idea that AIDS cannot spread through heterosexual sex.under the mistaken belief/impression etc: · Pauline was under the mistaken impression that I didn't like her.
based on wrong ideas or incorrect information: · He gave false and misleading statements to the court.· My mother avoided visiting Bali on the quite false assumption that the place is full of tourists.give a false impression/belief: · The title gives a false impression of what the book is actually about.
formal based on incorrect or incomplete information: · There were erroneous reports that the company had issued false statements. erroneous assumption/view/belief etc: · Ricci's book tries to correct this erroneous view of ancient China.
: misplaced trust/loyalty/admiration/concern etc trust, loyalty etc that is wrong because there is no good reason for feeling it: · Richards said, with misplaced confidence, that the ship was 'unsinkable'.· I suppose her chief fault was misplaced trust, rather than any real crime.(do something out of) a sense of misplaced loyalty/admiration etc: · Despite her doubts, she supported the new legislation out of a misplaced sense of loyalty to the leadership.
done with good intentions but based on information or an idea that is wrong: · These decision now seem misguided, if not downright wrong.misguided efforts/attempt/action etc: · It was another of his misguided attempts to save money.(do something in the) misguided belief/hope: · The taxes were introduced in the misguided belief that they would reduce foreign competition.
wrong and a little stupid, because of being based on a lack of understanding: · The young man's speech was full of wrongheaded ideas about "the evils of capitalism".· wrongheaded economic policies
to believe something that is wrong if you are wrong , you think or say something that is not correct: · I thought a holiday in Greece would be cheap, but I was wrong.· Maybe I'm wrong, but I could have sworn the class was at 9.30 a.m.· Why won't he admit he was wrong?be wrong about: · You were wrong about that train - it left at 10.30.be wrong in thinking/believing etc something: · You'd be wrong in thinking we don't encourage disabled students to come to the college.
formal to have an incorrect opinion or belief about something - use this as a polite way of saying someone is wrong: · I thought it was an accident, but I was mistaken.be mistaken about: · Anna realised she had been mistaken about Dennis.you must be mistaken: · I think you must be mistaken. He could not have obtained a key to your room.
to be wrong because you have been given information that is incorrect or untrue: · I think you must have been misinformed -- we don't teach any courses in business studies here.be misinformed about: · The documents clearly show that the public was misled and misinformed about the crisis.
to have the wrong idea about a situation, so that you are unlikely to get the result you want or the right answer to a problem: · I feel that this advertising campaign is on completely the wrong tack.get somebody off on the wrong tack/track: · He admitted that he had gotten us off on the wrong tack, and that we'd need to start again.
to wrongly and stupidly let yourself believe something that you want to believe, but which is not true: · He's kidding himself if he thinks he's going to be a great film director.· Don't delude yourself. They have no intention of offering you a job.
in the wrong position · Someone had moved the road sign so it was pointing in the wrong direction.· You're heading in the wrong direction for the city centre.· The files had been put back in the wrong order.
also the wrong way round British if something is the wrong way around , it is pointing in the opposite direction to the one it should be pointing in: · Tom often writes 'b' and 'd' the wrong way round.· That hat looks a bit strange -- have you got it on the wrong way around?· The torch won't work if you put the batteries in the wrong way round.
British also backwards British, /backward American if something, especially a piece of clothing, is back to front , the back of it is where the front should be: · You've got your sweater on back to front.· Dan appeared in jeans, wearing his cap backward as usual.
if something, especially a piece of clothing, is inside out , the inside of it is on the outside and the outside of it is on the inside: · I put my socks on inside out by mistake.· The wind was so strong, it blew her umbrella inside out.turn something inside out: · I turned the jeans inside out to repair the hem.
if something is upside down , the top of it is at the bottom and the bottom of it is at the top: · You're holding the picture upside down.· The monkey was hanging upside down from a tree.turn something upside down: · Turn the cups upside down and leave them to dry.
not reasonable or necessary · I don't deny that what I did was wrong, but I had no choice at the time.· Do you think violence is always wrong, even in self-defence?wrong with · There's nothing wrong with making money, is there? be wrong (of somebody) to do something · It is wrong to treat people this way -- they should be given a chance to defend themselves.· It was wrong of Sophie to take the money without asking.
something such as criticism or bad treatment of someone that is unjustified is unfair and cannot be shown to have a good reason: · Many disabled people suffer from unjustified discrimination when they apply for jobs.· Brian has the reputation, unjustified in my opinion, of being a bit of a bore.totally/completely unjustified: · I think your criticisms of Mr Ward are completely unjustified.
not fair, reasonable, or true: · It is morally unjustifiable to punish a whole class for the actions of one or two of its members.· unjustifiable accusations
unreasonable demands, requests, orders etc are unfair and not based on any good reason: · I think your attitude is most unreasonable.· I don't think the amount of homework they get is unreasonable.· Even the most caring parents will sometimes make unreasonable demands on their children.it is unreasonable to do something: · Don't you think it's a little unreasonable to charge someone $75 just for parking their car?
an unwarranted action or criticism is not deserved and is not based on any good reason: · Many sportsmen and women consider random drug-testing to be an unwarranted invasion of their privacy.· His attorney called the punishment 'excessively severe' and 'unwarranted'. unwarranted assumptions/beliefs/conclusions: · He warned members of the public not to jump to any unwarranted conclusions about the tragedy.
done for no good reason and causing unnecessary harm or offence: · He has criticised the film industry for its use of gratuitous sex and violence.· There's no point in exchanging gratuitous insults with them.
an unprovoked attack or criticism is directed at someone who did nothing to deserve it: · A man died in an apparently unprovoked attack in central Oxford last night.· Troops have been accused of unprovoked aggression against innocent civilians.
if someone does something without good reason , they do not have a good reason for doing it, and this may lead to trouble or punishment: · Anyone who is late without good reason will be punished.· An employer is unlikely to dismiss an employee without good reason.
a situation that you think is wrong or immoral · It's very bad that tons of food are going to waste while people are starving.· What's really bad is the way the government promises new housing and never provides it.
morally unacceptable, unfair, and against accepted ideas about what should be allowed to happen: · I was taught that abortion is wrong, even though it's not illegal.· It's wrong the way they treat that poor animal.
something that is disgusting makes people feel shocked and angry, because it is completely immoral, evil, or unfair: · The attitude toward immigrants and racial minorities in this country is disgusting.· It's disgusting the way politicians use their position to their personal advantage.
very immoral, unfair, or cruel, in a way that people think is unnecessary and unacceptable: · The state of the country's health system is scandalous.· a shocking waste of human life· The amount of money spent on nuclear weapons is shocking.· It's scandalous that a lawyer who holds a position of trust would be involved in this kind of embezzlement.
a situation that is outrageous is extremely bad and unfair in a way that makes people very angry: · I've always thought it outrageous that the poor have to pay for tax cuts for the rich.· The President accused the writer of an outrageous personal attack on his wife.
if you say something is a disgrace , you think it should not be allowed to happen, because it is very unfair or unkind: · The way they treat their workers is a disgrace.it's a disgrace (that): · It's a disgrace that the only hospital in the town has been closed.
you say that a situation is a crime or is a sin when you mean it is very bad, especially because it is not fair and could easily be prevented: · No one should be in such a bad way that they have to beg. It's a sin.· The condition of the inner cities in this country is nothing short of a crime.it's a crime/sin to do something: · Mrs Clark said it would be a sin to evict them just because they hadn't paid their rent.· It would be a crime not to take this opportunity to reconstruct our educational system.
a situation that is criminal is morally wrong, but not illegal: · I think keeping animals locked up in cages is criminal.· Having such beautiful paintings and not letting the public see them is a criminal waste of the nation's art treasures.
formal a situation that is deplorable is very bad, especially when it is unnecessary and could easily be prevented: · Something must be done about the deplorable state of our roads.· In addition to their harsh sentences, the prisoners have been exposed to deplorable prison conditions.
to think that someone or something is bad or morally wrong to think that someone or something is bad, morally wrong, or very stupid: · I could tell from my mother's face that she disapproved.disapprove of: · A lot of church leaders disapproved of the book when it was first published.disapprove of somebody doing something: · My friends disapprove of me smoking.strongly disapprove (=disapprove very much): · I strongly disapprove of any form of gambling.
to think that someone or something is bad, morally wrong, or very stupid: do not approve of: · His mother clearly did not approve of Sophie.do not approve of somebody doing something: · You know I don't approve of you smoking.
how you feel when you think someone's ideas, behaviour, or actions are bad or morally wrong: do something with disapproval: · She looked at our clothes with obvious disapproval.somebody's disapproval/the disapproval of somebody: · Peter was determined to go to art school, despite his parents' disapproval.
to think that something is morally wrong and should not happen: · A lot of people now think that killing animals for food is wrong.think it is wrong to do something: · I think it's wrong to hit a child, whatever the circumstances.
if a group of people frown on or upon a particular kind of behaviour, they think that it is not the right way to behave: · The people who went to church frowned on those who spent Sunday mornings in bed.· Romantic relationships between teachers and students are frowned upon by the college authorities.
to disapprove of someone's behaviour - use this especially about someone in authority or someone who could take action to stop the behaviour: · The school takes a very dim view of this behaviour.· The electorate took a dim view of the tax increase.
to think that a particular person or group of people has a bad character, so that you do not respect them: · I'm afraid I have a rather low opinion of Mr Evans.· He had a very low opinion of insurance salesmen.
to disapprove of someone because of a particular thing they have done: · I didn't want my parents or teachers to think badly of me.· Please, Harry, you mustn't think badly of me. I had no choice.
informal to strongly disapprove of a particular kind of behaviour, attitude, or idea: · I don't hold with racism. Never have, never will.· Many of the older generation simply don't hold with mixed marriages.
to make a mistake · My spoken Spanish was okay, but I kept making mistakes in my written work.· Don't worry - everyone makes mistakes.
especially spoken to make a mistake in something that you do, say, or write, especially when this has bad or annoying results: · I've been here a year now, and my boss still gets my name wrong!· You've got your facts wrong, mate - he doesn't work here any more.get it wrong (=deal with something in the wrong way): · Once again, the government has got it wrong.
to make a mistake at a particular stage in a process, for example, with the result that the whole thing is spoiled: · Check your work again and see if you can spot where you went wrong.· If you follow the easy step-by-step instructions, you really can't go wrong.
to make a careless mistake, especially so that you lose some advantage, or spoil a chance that you had: · We'll just have to hope that the other teams slip up.slip up on: · He slipped up on just one detail.
to make a stupid mistake, usually with very serious results: · The government later admitted it had blundered in its handling of the affair.· He realized he had blundered by picking such an experienced player for the team.
American informal to make a silly mistake: · You really goofed up this time!· Some drivers admit they goofed. Others blame anyone except themselves.
to make a mistake about a person, situation, or amount by wrongly thinking that they are one thing when in fact they are another: · I'm sorry -- it seems I've misjudged you.· It's easy to misjudge the speed of a car heading toward you.· In fact, the US generals had seriously misjudged the determination and endurance of the North Vietnamese.
to do something that seems good at the time but is not sensible: · Don't fall into the trap of trying to be too clever.· It is very easy for the mother to fall into the trap of offering the child only food that she knows the child likes.
what you say to ask someone about a problem spoken say this when you are asking someone what is causing a problem, for example why they are upset, or why a machine will not work: · What's the matter? You look as if you've been crying.what's wrong/what's the matter with: · What's wrong with the TV?· What was the matter with Daniella yesterday?
spoken informal say this when you are asking someone if there is a problem that they want to talk about: · "Karen, can I talk to you for a minute?" "Sure, what's up?"what's up with somebody? (=say this when someone seems to have a problem): · What's up with Larry today?
spoken say this when you are asking why someone cannot do something or why something will not work: · "I can't finish the last question." "Why? What's the problem?"· What's the problem? Is there something I can do?what's the problem with: · "I can't get my computer to work." "What's the problem with it?"
especially American, spoken say this to ask someone if they are unhappy about something you just said or suggested - use this when you are annoyed and want to be slightly rude: · "Is he going to sleep in your room?" "I think so. Do you have a problem with that?"· "Are you all by yourself?" I said, "Yes." And I wanted to say "you got a problem with that?"
when two people are not suitable for each other two people who are incompatible are unable to form a long relationship with each other because they have very different characters, attitudes, interests etc: · After a week together on vacation it was clear that they were totally incompatible.· My parents always seemed incompatible to me, but they stayed together for over 40 years.
to not be the right type of person to form a relationship with someone else, especially a long or serious relationship: · Everyone told him that she was wrong for him, but he wouldn't listen.· I'll introduce you if you want, but I don't think he's really right for you.
informal to not be a suitable person to form a relationship or friendship with someone else because you have different attitudes, interests etc or because you are not attracted to someone with particular characteristics: · All he ever talks about is football - he's not really my type.· Denise was really nice, but physically she wasn't my type.
if two people are not suited , they are not suitable for each other because they have very different attitudes and characters: · I've never thought of going out with her - we're not really suited.not be suited to/for: · If two people aren't naturally suited to each other, there's no point in pursuing a relationship.
formal two people who are having a relationship who are ill-matched , have very different characters, interests etc and their relationship is likely to be very difficult or unsuccessful: · They were both strong, vital people, but they made an ill-matched couple.· Whenever you see them, they're always arguing - they seem very ill-matched.
when someone is not suitable for a particular job or situation · They told me that the reason I was considered unsuitable was that I was over-qualified.· We've already rejected several unsuitable candidates.unsuitable/not suitable for · The first person we interviewed was clearly not suitable for the job.
informal if you are not cut out for a type of work or way of life, you do not have the right qualities to enjoy it or to be successful in it: · Obviously, Paul was not cut out for army life.· She'd been married only a year and a half when her husband decided he was not cut out for marriage.
completely unsuitable for a particular job: · This is a very important job, so we don't want to choose the wrong person.wrong for: · Dave's wrong for this job. He doesn't have enough patience.
formal unsuitable for a particular job or activity, because you do not have the right qualities for it: · With so little experience, Paula is not really suited to the role of personnel director.· The Lieutenant was by nature a man ill-suited to the discomforts of army life.
to be, feel, or look very different from the other people you are with, and therefore seem to not belong with them: · In her old jeans and college sweater, Sarah looked a little out of place in the foyer of the Grand Hotel.· Leary later went to Beverly Hills High School, but he felt out of place among the rich kids.
someone who does not seem to belong in a group or in society because they have different attitudes, a different appearance, different habits etc: · I didn't have a very happy time at school - I suppose I was something of a misfit.social/societal misfit: · He's always blamed his parents for turning him into a social misfit.
not suitable for a particular purpose, person, or situation · We never planted roses here because the climate isn't suitable.· The strict laws forbid women to read "unsuitable material."unsuitable/not suitable for · The road is not suitable for heavy vehicles.· The movie contains violence and is unsuitable for children.
formal not suitable for a situation or purpose - use this especially about something that has been done or chosen without enough care or thought: · This is not an appropriate use of taxpayers' money.· I thought his remarks were inappropriate on such a serious occasion.inappropriate/not appropriate for: · The court found that the sex-education brochures were inappropriate for eighth-grade students.it is inappropriate/not appropriate (for somebody) to do something: · It's completely inappropriate for the President to get so involved in a local issue like this.
not having the qualities or characteristics that are needed for a particular purpose or situation: · The tomatoes didn't grow because they're unsuited to the soil here.· Her outfit was completely unsuited to the tropical climate.
not the right one for a particular job or purpose: · You're using the wrong spoon - this is the soup spoon.· I think you picked the wrong time to call her.wrong for: · His brand of nationalism is wrong for our party and wrong for the country.
use this when it is completely the wrong time or place in which to do something, or the person doing it is a completely unsuitable person: · This is hardly the place to talk about your sexual problems.· I know it's hardly the moment to tell you, but I've quit my job.· This little man was hardly the kind of person you'd expect to be in charge of an international gun-smuggling scheme.
not good enough for a particular purpose, especially when someone has officially decided this: unfit/not fit for: · The land is so polluted it is not fit for crops.unfit for human consumption/habitation (=not fit for humans to eat or live in): · The meat was declared unfit for human consumption.unfit/not fit to do something: · Her uncle was mentally unstable and unfit to raise a child.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Meaning 1,2adverbs
I tried to explain everything to her, but it came out all wrong (=not in the way I intended). We must not let these documents fall into the wrong hands. The conclusions of the report are fundamentally wrong. If you guess correctly, you have another turn. The plan had gone horribly wrong. You have to be in the right frame of mind to play well. What you did wasn’t illegal, but it was morally wrong. There’s nothing wrong with the data. I think there’s something wrong (=a problem) with the phone. You’ve spelled my name wrong. He must have taken a wrong turning in the dark.
· I may be completely wrong.
· In most cases judges are right, but in a few they are hopelessly wrong.
verbs· They’ve got their sums wrong.
(=be shown to be wrong)· People do not like to be proved wrong.
Meaning 3phrases· There’s something wrong with this yogurt.
· It was four whole days before anyone even noticed something was wrong.
· What’s wrong with your leg?
adverbs· Something is very wrong.
· Harry felt sure that something was terribly wrong.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· Unfortunately all the advice they gave me was wrong.
· Do you know the right answer to this question?
· Both theories are based on a single wrong assumption.
(=go wrong in a serious way)· Their election campaign had gone badly wrong.
· Some of our calculations were wrong.
· I think you’ve made the right choice.
I tried to explain everything to her, but it came out all wrong (=not in the way I intended).· Reporters saw the couple together and leapt to the wrong conclusion.
· You’re dead wrong, so let me handle this.
· I thought I'd made the wrong decision marrying Jeff.
· The doctors apparently made an incorrect diagnosis.
· Are you sure this is the right direction for Shipton?
· It’s no use putting together a beautifully-written argument if you get your facts wrong.
We must not let these documents fall into the wrong hands. (=close to being correct) I guessed it would cost $100 and it was $110, so I was not far out.
I guessed it would cost $100 and it was $110, so I was not far out. The conclusions of the report are fundamentally wrong.· The straining noises from the engine told him that he was in the wrong gear.
If you guess correctly, you have another turn. The plan had gone horribly wrong.· The advertisement gave a misleading impression of the product.
· He was jailed for providing false information to the police.
· It wasn’t the right kind of holiday for me.
You have to be in the right frame of mind to play well. What you did wasn’t illegal, but it was morally wrong. (=made by mistake)· One wrong move and the business might never recover.
(=in the wrong direction)· One false move, and she’d fall over the edge.
There’s nothing wrong with the data.· The pages had been put in the wrong order.
· See if you can prove me wrong.
· I was worried there was something seriously wrong with me.
(=ones that do not give a true account of a situation)· Reducing the penalty for marijuana use perhaps sends the wrong signal to teenagers.
I think there’s something wrong (=a problem) with the phone. You’ve spelled my name wrong. (=go along the first etc road) I think we took a wrong turn coming out of town. Take the second turn on the left.
I think we took a wrong turn coming out of town. Take the second turn on the left. He must have taken a wrong turning in the dark.· There is a right way and a wrong way to do it.
· He had ended up going the wrong way down a one-way street.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· It was then that things had gone badly wrong.· By the late seventies many observers were concluding that something had gone badly wrong with initially well-motivated regulation.· How did things go so badly wrong so quickly?· If one accepts Levitt's analysis, Hoover got their marketing badly wrong.· When Rebecca emerged into the sunlight, it was clear that something was badly wrong.· Where on this conjoined road of shared experiences did the Prime Minister go so badly wrong and become a Tory?· That alone would have been enough to show something was badly wrong.· Since then, despite deep and life changing bonds being formed, some relationships have at times threatened to go badly wrong.
· But then its aspirations all went horribly wrong.· Doctors feared an air rifle pellet had pierced his brain when the joke went horribly wrong.· The initial experiment went horribly wrong.· And how can you guarantee a reasonable level of support in case something does go horribly wrong?· It could have gone horribly wrong.· But what are the chances that something might go horribly wrong?· Negotiations, in the hands of the inept or inexperienced, can go horribly wrong.· The whole plan had gone horribly wrong, but when?
· Such testimony was not necessarily regarded as morally wrong.· It would be morally wrong to do otherwise.· Why is insider dealing morally wrong?· On the other hand, the child who has some expectation that Lying will go unpunished sees nothing morally wrong with lying.· The assertion that some particular type of conduct is morally wrong because it is may appear unsatisfactory but it is unchallengeable.· It follows that it is wrong to convict and punish some one who has done nothing morally wrong.· It is on this basis that many see insider dealing as morally wrong.· I have a nagging sense of being unsatisfied with my behaviour, as though I was doing something morally wrong.
· If that is the reason then it is quite wrong.· It would be quite wrong to suggest that the only influence on mate choice is relative familiarity.· Paul had been quite wrong to call Michele cold and unfeeling.· Eisenhower was quite wrong to worry.· It may be difficult, but it is not complicated, and if it gets complicated there is something quite wrong.· An absolute knowledge for it, and I see the picture of it, and it's quite wrong.· You're quite wrong, Harriet.· It would, for example, be quite wrong to imagine that opposition to the Copernican theory derived only from religious prejudice.
· And by summer 1987 - still a year before Barlow Clowes was closed - it was obvious that something was seriously wrong.· We would call in a specialist and try to find out if there was anything seriously wrong.· What does matter is that something seems seriously wrong with Gaia.· And I think I must conclude that, in spite of the well-established format, something is going seriously wrong here.· Nothing seriously wrong, but she had been sick a lot, slept badly from indigestion, and was disappointed with herself.· They said there'd better be something seriously wrong with me.· It means that we're putting things right when things have gone seriously wrong.
· Immediately we realise that something is very wrong.· Something was wrong, very wrong.· The whole thing could go very wrong.· The conclusion was inevitable: there must be something very wrong with a system in which such faults were normal.· When things went wrong in this kind of game, they went very wrong.· You see him there and you know something is very wrong.· If he accepted that Celia had been driven to taking her life, it meant there was something very wrong with his.· But to my ear, there is something very wrong with the way Vasquez spins it.
NOUN· There are no right or wrong answers to these questions.· With contemporary art, there is not always a right or wrong answer.· The teacher was told by the researcher to regard silence as a wrong answer and to punish it accordingly.· They found no clearly right and wrong answers in dealing with people.· But it's the wrong answer.· Conversely, they attached little value to questions to which there were simply short right or wrong answers.· Note that there are no right or wrong answers and that your answers are entirely anonymous.· A number of wrong answers are detailed at the top of these pages.
· Secondly, central bankers, like other human beings, can take the wrong decisions.· It was not necessarily the wrong decision.· All the wrong decisions of Preston's life had come from feeling vulnerable.· While training schoolchildren to deal with threatening situations, they found many were making the wrong decisions.· With hindsight in Andrew Hagans case they made the wrong decision.· Mr Major must be a man with a beleaguered mentality - not thinking particularly straight, tending to take the wrong decisions.· If sometimes they're the wrong decisions ... too bad.
· But the politicians are looking for it in the wrong direction.· How can so much movement in the wrong direction be accomplished in one year?· He urged him to go to the local hotel, only twelve miles in the wrong direction.· You went the wrong direction five times a day!· I feel only that we have taken a wrong direction somewhere, and are blindly stumbling on because our leaders blindfold us.· But I am heavier and headed in the wrong direction.· Apparently, one out of every 16 signposts at crossroads in the region are pointing in the wrong direction.· He could hear the old man rummaging in there, completely unaware that things were now somehow turned in the wrong direction.
· Watcher, lamppost, fancy being on the wrong end of a chat?· A bright red Porsche came in from the wrong end, ignoring the arrows and signs.· She looked at the singer and his wife as if from the wrong end of a telescope.· And the wrong end of the stick.· The hon. Gentleman has got the wrong end of the stick about how they work.· Whoever suggested the grandiose title and subtitle of this book was looking down the wrong end of a microscope.· He'd been at the wrong end when a small company went bust in the city.· But they appeared to me as if seen through the wrong end of a telescope, muted and unreal.
· She likes to see the fastening, which means that for convenience, the shoe ends up on the wrong foot.· We got off on the wrong foot the other day and it was my fault.· Your weight was on the wrong foot.· Unfortunately, Pope got off on the wrong foot with his new troops.· That's what I did - got off on the wrong foot.· Mind you, the boots are on wrong feet which makes us smile - cross-legged feat!· Many women, through no fault of their own, appear to start off on the wrong foot.· In Division Three Hereford have kicked off with the wrong foot.
· A crossed cheque therefore gives some protection against fraud if it falls into the wrong hands.· Pentagon officials say they have already had some success reducing the risk that nuclear materials will fall into the wrong hands.· It's surprising what can become dangerous in the wrong hands.· Another worry is that nuclear material from defunct nuclear power plants and dismantled nuclear weapons might end up in the wrong hands.· And images of Kurds on tape could fall into the wrong hands.· In my haste I had shoved the wrong hand into the wrong pocket and pulled out the wrong ball!· I will never allow Kirsty to fall into the wrong hands.· All the excess food is in the wrong places or in the wrong hands.
· People have quite the wrong idea about vampires, you see.· We have an entirely wrong idea of ourselves through the pictures in our minds.· A lot of people get the wrong idea.· She further offended doctors by clinging to patently wrong ideas.· People have got the wrong idea about this one.· Vitalism, like every wrong idea, contains a useful sliver of truth.· People often got the wrong idea about Nanny Ogg, and she took care to see that they did.· Too much makeup will give the boys the wrong idea.
· He was beginning to get entirely the wrong impression, and that really annoyed - and disturbed - her.· You know we got the wrong impression of a revolution.· We now accept that the report was based upon inaccurate information and conveyed completely the wrong impression about Linford.· They gave the wrong impression, sent the wrong signal.· And if all that sounds a bit pious, I've created the wrong impression.· Mr Fallon says any move to make Darlington a development area would create a wrong impression.· Besides, the words could be construed as flirtatious, and she didn't want him getting the wrong impression again.· The scientists involved blame the press and its lurid headlines for giving people the wrong impression about Zeta.
· She's a sexy, cheerful, lively and uninhibited girl who married the wrong man.· The police had summonsed the wrong man, and the court dismissed the case against him.· How terrible it must be to marry the wrong man!· By the time Sir Humphrey sat down few people in that court could have felt that Simmons had arrested the wrong man.· The story about Murray shooting the wrong man.· Why did she have to meet the wrong man, and one who was so strongly attracted to her?· And so he had received the call-which anyway had been destined for the wrong man.
· Perhaps it had been a wrong number after all.· However, my experience is that consolidating down to one is exactly the wrong number.· Usually there were no calls save the occasional wrong number.· If you are calling to report that your cable is out, you have the wrong number.· That might not have been a wrong number.· Of course it might be no more wrong than a wrong number.· A wrong number would be the best possible result.· If it was a wrong number, no harm had been done.
· I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.· Occasionally, a Staff Pro guard is simply the victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.· A glimpse convinces the men then that they have come to the wrong place.· Some innocent, he supposed, in the wrong place at the wrong time.
· The Catholic arguments confuse the issue, but this time, for all the wrong reasons, the Pope is infallible.· Many do, but often for the wrong reasons.· This unlikely concoction was one of the more important pharmacological advances in the history of medicine, albeit for the wrong reasons.· I realized that most of them were there for the wrong reasons.· In addition, it would make us far less likely to eat for the wrong reasons.· The issue of waiver is particularly important where a buyer rejects the goods for a wrong reason.· Other people, he thought, probably found him funny, but funny for the wrong reasons.· I just have this feeling that she is looking at me and judging me for all the wrong reasons.
· Stitch a plain seam on the wrong side of the fabric.· For all I knew, I was firing on the wrong side of the trail.· And she's the wrong side of fifty.· He seemed to know about it, at least, the wrong side of it.· Like Dora Chance in Wise Children, she enjoyed the view from the wrong side of the tracks.· A lot of nonsense followed about etiquette and right sides and wrong sides.· Now it looks as if the wrong side won.· A machine fitted on the wrong side will be inefficient and wear out quickly.
· In the garden in her white dress, she knew she had done the wrong thing.· This was the wrong thing to say.· Why did she keep reacting like this, and saying the wrong thing?· He decided to do a wrong thing in a very misguided way which is good which is in defense of human life.· Some people seemed to have a talent for saying the wrong thing, she thought to herself.· He always seemed to say innocently exactly the wrong thing at the most inopportune moment.· At breakfast, a dozy waitress brings the wrong things.· Maybe it was the wrong thing to do.
· I was in love with her at the wrong time.· This may be the wrong time for the party to avert its gaze.· I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.· His brother-in-law David Chandler lives in Swindon: He says he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.· Occasionally, a Staff Pro guard is simply the victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.· Yet it seems they keep doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, according to the papers.
· In retrospect it now seems that both camps were barking up the wrong tree.· However, those who advocate a federal takeover of workers' compensation are barking up the wrong tree.· People who feel sorry for my old bridesmaid and travelling companion are barking up the wrong tree.· They have maybe barked up the wrong tree.· Could he once again be barking up the wrong tree?· Can't help thinking that they are on the right track and it's we who are barking up the wrong tree.· Unfortunately the succeeding owners chopped the wrong trees down!
· I took a wrong turn out of town.· He took a wrong turn in his life, he concludes.· Their chances of survival vanished the moment they stumbled into the procession; one wrong turn and that was it.· There even have been reports that he took a wrong turn to get there.· How cruel to reflect upon the wrong turns and unsought circumstances of an unlucky life.· We haven't taken one wrong turn or had one row since getting in.
· He must have taken a wrong turning in the dark.· He took a couple of wrong turnings in the gloom and was angry when he reached Jacqui's flat.· In Bechar, we took a wrong turning and drove to the gates of an army barracks.· Harrington's platoon on a wrong turning, heading in the direction of Serre.· Wherever he looked, he saw human beings taking the wrong turning.· We took one wrong turning - Vanessa firmly blamed me - but it was soon corrected.· Many wrong turnings in discussion and communication in general can be avoided, as unnecessary difficulties are pre-empted.
· If he had answered the right question in the wrong way, his decision would be binding.· But it was the wrong way to put it.· He knew that was the wrong way to be, she ought to try to eat.· One day, when I came home from work, she really pushed me the wrong way.· Then he drove off, the wrong way down the dual carriageway, said Jane Cockburn, prosecuting.· She picks up the iron the wrong way and burns her hand.· No matter what compliment you pay them, they always take it the wrong way.· And plus there is no right or wrong way.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► the wrong way up► get on the wrong side of the law► be from the wrong side of the tracks► be the wrong side of thirty/forty etc► correct me if I’m wrong► you’re not wrongPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► all sorts/kinds of wrong/crazy etc► back the wrong horse► get out of bed on the wrong side► start/get off on the wrong/right foot► not put a foot wrong► rub somebody up the wrong way► on the right/wrong side of 30/40 etc► get (hold of) the wrong end of the stick
- Church twisted his head sideways as if the writing were the wrong way round.
- Daniel sat in silence, afraid whatever he said would be taken the wrong way.
- Don't take this the wrong way, but could I stay at your place tonight?
- Don't take this the wrong way, but your driving has really improved.
- Don't tell Simon that -- he might take it the wrong way.
- No, that's not what I meant. You take everything the wrong way.
- Don't take that the wrong way.
- Everything you say, he takes it in the wrong way.
- Maggie said that I shouldn't make risky jokes with assessors in case they take it the wrong way.
- No matter what compliment you pay them, they always take it the wrong way.
- Weeb said his father was afraid people might take it the wrong way.
- Kambule claims he was just a bystander when the shooting occurred, a kid in the wrong place at the wrong time.
- The driver was drunk and hit her as she was crossing the road. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
- If you get on the wrong side of Miss Trunchbull she can liquidise you like a carrot in a kitchen blender.
- Linda Smith got on the wrong side of the National Rifle Association recently.
- She was going to find out shortly that she couldn't get on the wrong side of Harry without paying for it.
- Travis, remind me not to get on the wrong side of you again.
- We just got off on the wrong foot the other day.
- Unfortunately, Pope got off on the wrong foot with his new troops.
- We got off on the wrong foot the other day and it was my fault.
- Maybe I got the wrong end of the stick. I thought she was leaving him, not the other way round.
- He admitted that he had gotten us off on the wrong tack, and that we'd need to start again.
- I feel that this advertising campaign is on completely the wrong tack.
- I knew I was on the wrong track when the tall reeds broke to reveal the brown-bellied river.
- But even if I was wrong about Bryce, it's impossible I could be wrong about Magee.
- But now, for the first time, she begins to think she might be wrong.
- I want Mum to ask the doctor why they keep testing me - what do they think is wrong?
- They argue that the legislated-excellence movement is wrong not only about how children learn, but also about what they should learn.
- This turns out to be wrong.
- Well, actually you could be forgiven for thinking that, and actually you'd be wrong.
- What if the man who designed them was wrong?
- A crossed cheque therefore gives some protection against fraud if it falls into the wrong hands.
- And images of Kurds on tape could fall into the wrong hands.
- But some gun dealers have stopped selling replicas, because they're worried about them falling into the wrong hands.
- Cards falling into the wrong hands cost the industry three hundred pounds every minute.
- I will never allow Kirsty to fall into the wrong hands.
- Pentagon officials say they have already had some success reducing the risk that nuclear materials will fall into the wrong hands.
- Voice over Mr Foulkes is seeking Government safeguards to prevent Rayo from falling into the wrong hands.
- You're barking up the wrong tree if you think Sam can help you.
- Can't help thinking that they are on the right track and it's we who are barking up the wrong tree.
- Could he once again be barking up the wrong tree?
- However, those who advocate a federal takeover of workers' compensation are barking up the wrong tree.
- In retrospect it now seems that both camps were barking up the wrong tree.
- People who feel sorry for my old bridesmaid and travelling companion are barking up the wrong tree.
- They have maybe barked up the wrong tree.
- Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you say you'd never met him before?
- Don't get the wrong idea - the Dixons aren't as arrogant as they sound.
- A lot of people get the wrong idea.
- People have got the wrong idea about this one.
- People often got the wrong idea about Nanny Ogg, and she took care to see that they did.
- He reworked everything he wrote until he had hit the right note of Gailic pedantry.
- So are buskers in Gloucester striking the right note with their audience?
- That would have the merit of simplicity, but would it strike the right note socially?
- My sisters and I got a long lecture on the rights and wrongs of wearing makeup.
- I do not wish to enter into the rights and wrongs of meat consumption versus vegetarianism or alcohol consumption versus abstention.
- Leaving aside the rights and wrongs of that dispute, we all know the importance of representatives.
- Not the rights and wrongs of conscientious objection.
- She would not even bother to argue the rights and wrongs of what had occurred since it would be futile.
- She would worry about the rights and wrongs of the situation in the morning.
- We can generalise from the rights and wrongs of his account of seeing to the use of the other senses as well.
- Its business is not to right wrongs, but to make money.
- Most problems arise from neglect and, since repairs involve skilled labour, righting a wrong can be expensive.
- If you get on the wrong side of Miss Trunchbull she can liquidise you like a carrot in a kitchen blender.
- Linda Smith got on the wrong side of the National Rifle Association recently.
- She was going to find out shortly that she couldn't get on the wrong side of Harry without paying for it.
- Travis, remind me not to get on the wrong side of you again.
- De Niro plays a lawyer, on the right side of the law.
- And then you go out with some other woman and she smells wrong.
- So, in short, if a fish smells fishy it is an indication that it is going off.
- The Adkinsons' neighbors smelled wrong in the air, but pinched their noses closed and kept to themselves.
- Why does fish usually smell fishy?
- A few people, though, were on the right track.
- And other signs helped convince me that I was on the right track.
- Dole was on the right track when he talked about tolerance, but he mysteriously dropped it once he got the nomination.
- He hoped the man was on the right track and did his best to believe that he was.
- I knew I was on the right track when I felt that thrill of pleasure at placing object, not painting it.
- The officers consequently had little idea whether they were on the right track or not.
- You are on the right track so follow your nose.
WORD FAMILYadverbwrongwronglywrongfullyadjectivewrongwrongfulnounwrongverbwrong
1not correct not correct, and not based on true facts OPP right: Your calculations must be wrong. I think I got question 3 wrong.it is wrong to do something It is wrong to assume that technological advance brings a higher quality of life. I wish you’d stop trying to prove me wrong (=show that I am wrong) all the time.2be wrong (about somebody/something) to not be right in what you think or believe about someone or something SYN mistaken OPP right: No, you’re wrong. Brett wouldn’t do a thing like that. I was wrong about the new guy – he’s not Belgian, he’s French. That’s where you’re wrong! We never slept together.3problems used to describe a situation where there are problems, or when someone is ill or unhappythere is something wrong/something is wrong When he didn’t come back that night, I knew that something was wrong.wrong with What is wrong with our society? People just don’t seem to care anymore. Is anything wrong? You haven’t said more than two words since you got here. Dave’s got something wrong with his foot. Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong.4not the right one not the one that you intended or the one that you really want OPP right: The letter was delivered to the wrong address. driving on the wrong side of the road You’ve got the wrong man. I didn’t kill her. I think we went the wrong way at that last turning. There’s no one called Julia here. You must have the wrong number (=wrong telephone number).5not morally right not morally right or acceptable OPP rightit is wrong that It’s wrong that people should have to sleep on the streets.it is wrong to do something We all accept that it is wrong to torture people. We weren’t doing anything wrong!wrong with There’s nothing wrong with making a profit, provided you don’t cheat anyone.6not suitable not suitable for a particular purpose, situation, or person OPP right: It’s the wrong time of year to be planning a holiday.wrong for Anna and I were wrong for each other in dozens of ways (=not suited for a romantic relationship with each other).7not working if something is wrong with a vehicle or machine, it stops working properlywrong with There’s something wrong with the car again. → go wrong at wrong2(2)8unpleasant informal unpleasant and upsetting or offensive – often used humorously: That joke's just wrong, man!9be the wrong way round/around a)to be in the wrong order: These two paragraphs are the wrong way round. b)if something is the wrong way round, the back is where the front should be: You’ve got your T-shirt on the wrong way around.10the wrong way up if something is the wrong way up, the top is where the bottom should be SYN upside down: The painting was hung the wrong way up.11take something the wrong way to be offended by a remark because you have understood it wrongly: I like you. Don’t take this the wrong way, now. I mean as a friend.12be in the wrong place at the wrong time spoken to get involved in trouble without intending to13get on the wrong side of somebody to do something that gives someone a bad opinion of you, so that they do not like or respect you in the future: I wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of her.14get on the wrong side of the law to get into trouble with the police15get off on the wrong foot to start a job, relationship etc badly by making a mistake that annoys people16get the wrong end of the stick British English informal to understand a situation in completely the wrong way: Geoff had got the wrong end of the stick, and thought I was angry with him.17be on the wrong track/tack to have the wrong idea about a situation so that you are unlikely to get the result you want18be from the wrong side of the tracks American English to be from a poor part of a town or a poor part of society19be the wrong side of thirty/forty etc informal to be older than 30 etc → get out of bed on the wrong side at bed1(8)20 correct me if I’m wrong used as a polite way of saying that you think what you are going to say is correct: Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you say you were going to do it?21 you’re not wrong spoken used to agree with someone: ‘This government is ruining the country!’ ‘You’re not wrong there!’22fall/get into the wrong hands if something secret or dangerous falls into the wrong hands, it is discovered by someone who may use it to harm peopleCOLLOCATIONS– Meaning 1,2adverbscompletely/totally/quite wrong· I may be completely wrong.hopelessly wrong· In most cases judges are right, but in a few they are hopelessly wrong.verbsget something wrong· They’ve got their sums wrong.be proved wrong (=be shown to be wrong)· People do not like to be proved wrong.COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 3phrasesthere is something/nothing wrong· There’s something wrong with this yogurt.something/nothing is wrong· It was four whole days before anyone even noticed something was wrong.what’s wrong· What’s wrong with your leg?adverbsvery wrong· Something is very wrong.terribly/dreadfully/horribly wrong· Harry felt sure that something was terribly wrong.THESAURUSwrong not correct or right – used about facts, answers etc, or people: · For every wrong answer, you lose five points.· The figure he gave me was wrong.· I think you’re wrong about that.incorrect something that is incorrect is wrong because someone has made a mistake. Incorrect is more formal than wrong: · I’m afraid these prices are incorrect.· The doctor had made an incorrect diagnosis.inaccurate something that is inaccurate is not exactly right and contains mistakes: · inaccurate information· inaccurate measurements· The old maps were often inaccurate.false not based on true facts: · Are the following statements true or false?· He was accused of giving false information to the police.untrue [not usually before noun] not based on true facts, especially because someone is lying or guessing: · I can’t believe he said that about me. It’s completely untrue!· The allegations were untrue.misleading a misleading statement or piece of information makes people believe something that is wrong, especially because it does not give all the facts: · The article was very misleading.· misleading statisticsmisguided a misguided decision, belief, action etc is wrong because it is based on bad judgment or understanding: · That decision seems misguided now.· It was the consequence of a misguided economic policy.mistaken wrong – used about ideas and beliefs. Also used about a person being wrong. You’re mistaken sounds more polite and less direct than saying you’re wrong: · She’s completely mistaken if she thinks that I don’t care about her.· a mistaken beliefwrong1 adjectivewrong2 adverbwrong3 nounwrong4 verb
wrongwrong2 ●●● S2 adverb EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- I think you've added it up wrongly.
- Rightly or wrongly, employees see 'performance pay raises' as unfair.
- The police chief admitted that some prisoners had been wrongly punished.
- They spelled my name wrong on the envelope.
- You've spelled my name wrong -- there should be an 'e' at the end.
- You idiot, Todd - you did it all wrong.
- The Bill ensures that there is a clear complaints procedures should things go wrong.
- The brainy men all went along To see that nothing should go wrong.
Longman Language Activatorinformation/numbers/calculations etc
not correct: · For every answer that is wrong, you lose five points.· I think that clock must be wrong (=showing the wrong time).get something wrong: · You must have got my email address wrong.wrong (telephone) number/address/name etc: · I tried to phone him, but it was the wrong number.· This must be the wrong address -- no one of that name lives here
facts, figures, answers etc that are incorrect are wrong because they are not the same as the correct ones: · The information about current prices was incorrect.· incorrect spelling· They discovered later that the doctor had made an incorrect diagnosis.it is incorrect to do/say something: · It's simply incorrect to say that tobacco advertising does not influence young people.
a statement or piece of information that is misleading makes people believe something that is not true, especially because it does not give all the facts: · The article was deliberately misleading, and the newspaper has apologized.· misleading statistics· The Advertising Review Board says the adverts are deliberately misleading.give a misleading impression/statement etc: · Agents often gave a false or misleading description of the houses they were selling.
information, numbers etc that are inaccurate are not exactly right or contain some mistakes: · The old maps were usually inaccurate or incomplete.· TV ratings figures are often inaccurate.· He admitted he had given the committee 'inaccurate, incomplete and unreliable information'. totally/wildly inaccurate (=very inaccurate): · Figures quoted in the article are wildly inaccurate.
: bad grammar/English/Italian etc not spoken or written correctly: · You will lose marks for bad grammar in the exam.· Robert ordered two beers in very bad Spanish.· Masanori is the worst student in the class -- his spelling's bad and his grammar's terrible.
British /be off American if a measurement, result, figure etc is out , it is wrong because the numbers have not been calculated correctly: · These sales figures must be out. We certainly haven't made that much money this year.be out by $10/50 centimetres etc: · My last bank statement was off by $60.
if someone's guess, opinion etc is way off the mark , their idea about a situation is completely wrong: · No, you're way off the mark -- he was born in 1736.
beliefs/ideas/actions etc · People used to believe that the world was flat, but we now know this is wrong.· Alice felt she had made the wrong decision.get the wrong impression · I wouldn't like you to get the wrong impression -- I do enjoy the course, but I just find it very hard work.
: mistaken idea/belief/impression etc an idea, belief etc that people believe is right but is in fact wrong - use this as a polite way of saying someone is wrong: · Many people have the mistaken idea that AIDS cannot spread through heterosexual sex.under the mistaken belief/impression etc: · Pauline was under the mistaken impression that I didn't like her.
based on wrong ideas or incorrect information: · He gave false and misleading statements to the court.· My mother avoided visiting Bali on the quite false assumption that the place is full of tourists.give a false impression/belief: · The title gives a false impression of what the book is actually about.
formal based on incorrect or incomplete information: · There were erroneous reports that the company had issued false statements. erroneous assumption/view/belief etc: · Ricci's book tries to correct this erroneous view of ancient China.
: misplaced trust/loyalty/admiration/concern etc trust, loyalty etc that is wrong because there is no good reason for feeling it: · Richards said, with misplaced confidence, that the ship was 'unsinkable'.· I suppose her chief fault was misplaced trust, rather than any real crime.(do something out of) a sense of misplaced loyalty/admiration etc: · Despite her doubts, she supported the new legislation out of a misplaced sense of loyalty to the leadership.
done with good intentions but based on information or an idea that is wrong: · These decision now seem misguided, if not downright wrong.misguided efforts/attempt/action etc: · It was another of his misguided attempts to save money.(do something in the) misguided belief/hope: · The taxes were introduced in the misguided belief that they would reduce foreign competition.
wrong and a little stupid, because of being based on a lack of understanding: · The young man's speech was full of wrongheaded ideas about "the evils of capitalism".· wrongheaded economic policies
to believe something that is wrong if you are wrong , you think or say something that is not correct: · I thought a holiday in Greece would be cheap, but I was wrong.· Maybe I'm wrong, but I could have sworn the class was at 9.30 a.m.· Why won't he admit he was wrong?be wrong about: · You were wrong about that train - it left at 10.30.be wrong in thinking/believing etc something: · You'd be wrong in thinking we don't encourage disabled students to come to the college.
formal to have an incorrect opinion or belief about something - use this as a polite way of saying someone is wrong: · I thought it was an accident, but I was mistaken.be mistaken about: · Anna realised she had been mistaken about Dennis.you must be mistaken: · I think you must be mistaken. He could not have obtained a key to your room.
to be wrong because you have been given information that is incorrect or untrue: · I think you must have been misinformed -- we don't teach any courses in business studies here.be misinformed about: · The documents clearly show that the public was misled and misinformed about the crisis.
to have the wrong idea about a situation, so that you are unlikely to get the result you want or the right answer to a problem: · I feel that this advertising campaign is on completely the wrong tack.get somebody off on the wrong tack/track: · He admitted that he had gotten us off on the wrong tack, and that we'd need to start again.
to wrongly and stupidly let yourself believe something that you want to believe, but which is not true: · He's kidding himself if he thinks he's going to be a great film director.· Don't delude yourself. They have no intention of offering you a job.
in the wrong position · Someone had moved the road sign so it was pointing in the wrong direction.· You're heading in the wrong direction for the city centre.· The files had been put back in the wrong order.
also the wrong way round British if something is the wrong way around , it is pointing in the opposite direction to the one it should be pointing in: · Tom often writes 'b' and 'd' the wrong way round.· That hat looks a bit strange -- have you got it on the wrong way around?· The torch won't work if you put the batteries in the wrong way round.
British also backwards British, /backward American if something, especially a piece of clothing, is back to front , the back of it is where the front should be: · You've got your sweater on back to front.· Dan appeared in jeans, wearing his cap backward as usual.
if something, especially a piece of clothing, is inside out , the inside of it is on the outside and the outside of it is on the inside: · I put my socks on inside out by mistake.· The wind was so strong, it blew her umbrella inside out.turn something inside out: · I turned the jeans inside out to repair the hem.
if something is upside down , the top of it is at the bottom and the bottom of it is at the top: · You're holding the picture upside down.· The monkey was hanging upside down from a tree.turn something upside down: · Turn the cups upside down and leave them to dry.
not reasonable or necessary · I don't deny that what I did was wrong, but I had no choice at the time.· Do you think violence is always wrong, even in self-defence?wrong with · There's nothing wrong with making money, is there? be wrong (of somebody) to do something · It is wrong to treat people this way -- they should be given a chance to defend themselves.· It was wrong of Sophie to take the money without asking.
something such as criticism or bad treatment of someone that is unjustified is unfair and cannot be shown to have a good reason: · Many disabled people suffer from unjustified discrimination when they apply for jobs.· Brian has the reputation, unjustified in my opinion, of being a bit of a bore.totally/completely unjustified: · I think your criticisms of Mr Ward are completely unjustified.
not fair, reasonable, or true: · It is morally unjustifiable to punish a whole class for the actions of one or two of its members.· unjustifiable accusations
unreasonable demands, requests, orders etc are unfair and not based on any good reason: · I think your attitude is most unreasonable.· I don't think the amount of homework they get is unreasonable.· Even the most caring parents will sometimes make unreasonable demands on their children.it is unreasonable to do something: · Don't you think it's a little unreasonable to charge someone $75 just for parking their car?
an unwarranted action or criticism is not deserved and is not based on any good reason: · Many sportsmen and women consider random drug-testing to be an unwarranted invasion of their privacy.· His attorney called the punishment 'excessively severe' and 'unwarranted'. unwarranted assumptions/beliefs/conclusions: · He warned members of the public not to jump to any unwarranted conclusions about the tragedy.
done for no good reason and causing unnecessary harm or offence: · He has criticised the film industry for its use of gratuitous sex and violence.· There's no point in exchanging gratuitous insults with them.
an unprovoked attack or criticism is directed at someone who did nothing to deserve it: · A man died in an apparently unprovoked attack in central Oxford last night.· Troops have been accused of unprovoked aggression against innocent civilians.
if someone does something without good reason , they do not have a good reason for doing it, and this may lead to trouble or punishment: · Anyone who is late without good reason will be punished.· An employer is unlikely to dismiss an employee without good reason.
to stop working if something goes wrong with a machine, it stops working normally - use this especially about complicated equipment, when you do not know what the problem is: · Who'll fix my computer if something goes wrong?something goes wrong with: · Occasionally something went wrong with the projector and the movie was canceled.· Something's gone wrong with my washing machine.
if a car, bus, train, or large machine breaks down , it stops working completely: · She was late for the meeting because her car broke down.· The elevators in this building are always breaking down.
if a computer crashes , it suddenly stops working, and information is often lost because of this: · I installed the new program and my computer crashed.· Hundreds of hospital records were wiped out when the network crashed.
if an engine cuts out , it suddenly stops working: · Every time Mark slowed down the engine cut out.· I started to go up the hill and the engine just cut out on me.
especially written if a part of a machine or of a piece of electrical equipment fails , it stops working: · The driver of the car claims that his brakes failed and he was unable to stop.· In the last ten minutes of the game, one of the television cameras failed.· One of the engines failed at 30,000 feet.
formal to stop working properly: · This is a sign that the computer's hard disk is malfunctioning.· Both satellites entered orbit but quickly malfunctioned.
British informal if a machine packs up , it stops working, especially because it is old: · When this record player packs up, I'll buy a CD player.· They won't know what to do if a pipe bursts or if the heater packs up.
certain to win or succeed if someone is destined to do or become something, they will certainly do it or become it, especially something that will make them famous or admired: · She was convinced that her little boy was destined to become President.· Clara worked in a factory and sang in clubs at weekends - but even then you could tell that she was destined to become a star.
formal to be certain to get something good or to be successful: · After the success of its recent single, the band is now assured of a contract with a major record company.· Our clients are assured of comfortable accommodation and the attention of our trained staff.
spoken informal use this to say that someone or something will definitely win or succeed: · I'm betting on Sceptre. He's a dead cert to win the Gold Cup.
spoken use this to say that something or someone will definitely be successful: · We've been through the plan a dozen times. It can't go wrong.· Just follow the instructions and you can't go wrong.
spoken informal use this to say that you will certainly get something you want, or something you want will certainly happen, because you have almost got it or it has almost happened already: · You're bound to get Bill's job when he leaves - it's in the bag.be in the bag: · If we win the next game, the championship's in the bag.
use this to say that it is almost certain something will happen because of what you know of the situation: · I told my friends it was a sure thing, and they bet every last penny on that horse of yours.it's a safe bet/it's a sure bet/it's a sure thing (that): · If the President supports him it's a sure bet that he'll get a seat in Congress.· As it was the first concert of the season it was a safe bet all the critics would be there.
a foolproof plan or method is one that is certain to work and be successful: · A pasta book is a foolproof gift for anyone who cooks.foolproof method/system/plan etc: · The new speech recognition system is not absolutely foolproof, but it is a huge breakthrough.· The gang hit on a seemingly foolproof way of getting drugs into the country.
when a plan or attempt fails if a plan or attempt fails , it does not achieve what you want it to achieve: · They said the latest space mission was bound to fail.· Try changing the spark plugs, but if that fails take the car to a mechanic.fail to do something: · The investigation failed to establish the cause of the accident.something never fails: · The only way I can make her help me is to pretend I don't want her help. It never fails.
when a plan or attempt fails : failure of: · The failure of the peace talks has led to increased tension on the streets.end/result in failure: · Their first attempt to climb Mount Everest ended in failure.
to fail: · Hoover's attempts to boost the economy did not succeed.· I argued that neither strategy could succeed.not succeed in doing something: · The campaign might not succeed in eliminating the disease, but it would make people think about health and hygiene.
an unsuccessful attempt to do something does not have the result that you wanted: · The army made an unsuccessful attempt to end the rebellion.· I regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful.
: vain attempt/effort/search a serious attempt, effort etc that is completely unsuccessful: · I remembered all my vain attempts to change his mind.· He stretched up his arms in a vain effort to reach the top of the embankment.
: fruitless attempt/search/effort etc one that fails completely to bring the result that you want: · I spent the next three hours in a fruitless search of her room.· After weeks of fruitless argument they finally agreed to go their separate ways.· Their attempt to settle the dispute by peaceful negotiations proved fruitless.
a meeting, discussion etc that is unproductive produces very few good results: · The meeting was long and noisy, but unproductive.· It was one of those unproductive confrontations between students and senior members of the university.
to be unsuccessful - use this especially about something that fails even though it was very carefully planned: · The government's expensive election campaign had been a failure.be a complete/total failure: · There was a 5-year plan to modernize the economy, but it was a complete failure.
if a planned attempt to do something goes wrong , it fails after it has started well: · The experiment went wrong when the chemicals combined to form a poisonous gas.go badly wrong British (=fail completely): · The rescue attempt went badly wrong when the building collapsed.
if a method or attempt does not work , it fails because it is not suitable or not right for the situation you are in: · I tried to fix it with glue, but that didn't work.not work with: · Teaching methods that work with adults do not always work with children.
if something you do to try to help or deal with a problem does no good , it does not have any useful effect: · Calm down Robyn. Getting hysterical will do no good.· You can try and persuade her to change her mind, but I don't think it'll do any good.do no good whatsoever (=have no useful effect at all): · Judges expect a certain level of competence, so staging a little-girl-lost act in court will do no good whatsoever.
if a plan, arrangement, or deal falls through , something stops it from happening, with the result that people are disappointed: · The deal fell through because they couldn't get enough money from the bank.· It was unbelievable -- it took two years to set the whole thing up and it fell through at the last minute!
if a business or political plan is dead in the water, it has failed completely, almost before it has even started - used especially in newspapers: · Their election campaign now appears to be dead in the water.
when a relationship or marriage fails · If your marriage fails it can be difficult to make a new start in life.· She was trapped in a failing relationship.
British if a marriage or other relationship goes wrong , or something about it goes wrong ,something happens or changes to make it fail after it had started well: · It was soon after the birth of their first child that their relationship started to go wrong.· Only the two of you know what went wrong.
informal if a marriage is on the rocks , it is in difficulties and likely to fail: · There had been signs that their marriage was on the rocks for years.
to guess incorrectly to guess incorrectly: · I guessed she was over sixteen, but I guessed wrong.
to guess wrongly, by thinking that the amount, level, or cost of something is bigger, more expensive etc than it really is: · People overestimated the risk of catching the disease.overestimate how much/how long etc: · We overestimated how long the journey would take, and arrived far too early.
to guess wrongly, by thinking that the amount, level, or cost of something is smaller, less expensive etc than it really is: · They underestimated the amount of time it would take to finish the work.underestimate how much/ how long etc: · You must never underestimate how much I love you.how difficult/ how important etc: · Don't underestimate how good the other team is, or how hard they're going to play.badly/greatly underestimate: · They had badly underestimated how many lifeboats would be needed.
to guess incorrectly - use this when someone is not at all close to being correct: · The movie was expected to gross millions, but that forecast was wide of the mark.be seriously/hopelessly wide of the mark: · All the opinion polls turned out to be hopelessly wide of the mark.
to make a mistake · My spoken Spanish was okay, but I kept making mistakes in my written work.· Don't worry - everyone makes mistakes.
especially spoken to make a mistake in something that you do, say, or write, especially when this has bad or annoying results: · I've been here a year now, and my boss still gets my name wrong!· You've got your facts wrong, mate - he doesn't work here any more.get it wrong (=deal with something in the wrong way): · Once again, the government has got it wrong.
to make a mistake at a particular stage in a process, for example, with the result that the whole thing is spoiled: · Check your work again and see if you can spot where you went wrong.· If you follow the easy step-by-step instructions, you really can't go wrong.
to make a careless mistake, especially so that you lose some advantage, or spoil a chance that you had: · We'll just have to hope that the other teams slip up.slip up on: · He slipped up on just one detail.
to make a stupid mistake, usually with very serious results: · The government later admitted it had blundered in its handling of the affair.· He realized he had blundered by picking such an experienced player for the team.
American informal to make a silly mistake: · You really goofed up this time!· Some drivers admit they goofed. Others blame anyone except themselves.
to make a mistake about a person, situation, or amount by wrongly thinking that they are one thing when in fact they are another: · I'm sorry -- it seems I've misjudged you.· It's easy to misjudge the speed of a car heading toward you.· In fact, the US generals had seriously misjudged the determination and endurance of the North Vietnamese.
to do something that seems good at the time but is not sensible: · Don't fall into the trap of trying to be too clever.· It is very easy for the mother to fall into the trap of offering the child only food that she knows the child likes.
to think that someone or something is perfect when they are not also idealise British to consider or show someone or something as perfect, without noticing their faults: · People often idealize the past.· She always idealized her father, who had died when she was five.
to wrongly think that someone is perfect so that you are unable to treat them as an ordinary person: · It's very common for men to put women they love on a pedestal.
if one person thinks that another person can do no wrong , they think they are perfect, even though they really do have faults: · Whatever trouble Eddy gets into, Mum still thinks he can do no wrong,· Of course, the fans believe that the players can do no wrong.
to not understand something correctly to think that someone means one thing when in fact they mean something else: · I think she misunderstood you.· I'm sorry, I must have misunderstood.· According to Bennett, you misunderstood the reason you were dropped from the list.
a problem caused when someone does not understand something correctly: · There seems to have been a misunderstanding. I didn't order steak.· Cultural differences between people from different countries can sometimes lead to misunderstandings.
to not understand the true meaning of someone's actions or words, so that you believe something that is not in fact true: · Your friendliness could easily be misinterpreted.· A lot of people misinterpreted what I was saying, and have called me a racist.
to wrongly believe that someone's actions show that they have a particular opinion or feeling: · Unfortunately, we misread the situation and lost a lot of sales.· The intelligence community was criticized for misreading Iraq's intentions.
if you miss the point , you think you understand what someone says or what is important about a situation, but in fact you are wrong: · I soon realised that he had completely missed the point.· He's so caught up in the rules that he's missing the point of the game, which is just to have fun.
to be offended or upset by a remark that was not intended to offend or upset you, because you understood it wrongly: · Don't tell Simon that -- he might take it the wrong way.· No, that's not what I meant. You take everything the wrong way.don't take this the wrong way (=say this when you want to give advice or ask something that you think might offend someone): · Don't take this the wrong way, but could I stay at your place tonight?
British an informal expression meaning to make a mistake about one part of something that you are told, so that you understand the rest of it in completely the wrong way: · Maybe I got the wrong end of the stick. I thought she was leaving him, not the other way round.
if two people are at cross-purposes , each of them thinks that they understand what the other is talking about, when in fact they are talking about two different things: · I think we're at cross purposes -- I'm talking about John, not Nigel.
spoken say this when you do not want someone to understand something wrongly or be upset by what you say: · I like Jenny, don't get me wrong, but I do think she acts a little childishly at times.· Don't get me wrong, I love my family, I just don't want to be with them all the time.
British spoken to suddenly be unable to understand what is happening in a situation, especially when people expect you to understand and deal with it: · In the past few days the President seems to have completely lost the plot.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Meaning 2adverbs I tried to explain everything to her, but it came out all wrong (=not in the way I intended). We must not let these documents fall into the wrong hands. The conclusions of the report are fundamentally wrong. If you guess correctly, you have another turn. The plan had gone horribly wrong. You have to be in the right frame of mind to play well. What you did wasn’t illegal, but it was morally wrong. There’s nothing wrong with the data. I think there’s something wrong (=a problem) with the phone. You’ve spelled my name wrong. He must have taken a wrong turning in the dark.
· The book is a thriller about a diamond robbery that goes badly wrong.
· From that moment on, everything went horribly wrong for the team.
· Help was close at hand in case the stunt went disastrously wrong.
(=so that death or serious injury results)· A father and son died in a fire after a good deed for a friend went tragically wrong.
phrases· If things go wrong, they’ll blame me.
· If something goes wrong with your machine, you can take it back to the dealer.
(=you cannot make a mistake)· Turn right and then right again - you really can’t go wrong.
· I’m sure that if anything can go wrong, it will.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· Unfortunately all the advice they gave me was wrong.
· Do you know the right answer to this question?
· Both theories are based on a single wrong assumption.
(=go wrong in a serious way)· Their election campaign had gone badly wrong.
· Some of our calculations were wrong.
· I think you’ve made the right choice.
I tried to explain everything to her, but it came out all wrong (=not in the way I intended).· Reporters saw the couple together and leapt to the wrong conclusion.
· You’re dead wrong, so let me handle this.
· I thought I'd made the wrong decision marrying Jeff.
· The doctors apparently made an incorrect diagnosis.
· Are you sure this is the right direction for Shipton?
· It’s no use putting together a beautifully-written argument if you get your facts wrong.
We must not let these documents fall into the wrong hands. (=close to being correct) I guessed it would cost $100 and it was $110, so I was not far out.
I guessed it would cost $100 and it was $110, so I was not far out. The conclusions of the report are fundamentally wrong.· The straining noises from the engine told him that he was in the wrong gear.
If you guess correctly, you have another turn. The plan had gone horribly wrong.· The advertisement gave a misleading impression of the product.
· He was jailed for providing false information to the police.
· It wasn’t the right kind of holiday for me.
You have to be in the right frame of mind to play well. What you did wasn’t illegal, but it was morally wrong. (=made by mistake)· One wrong move and the business might never recover.
(=in the wrong direction)· One false move, and she’d fall over the edge.
There’s nothing wrong with the data.· The pages had been put in the wrong order.
· See if you can prove me wrong.
· I was worried there was something seriously wrong with me.
(=ones that do not give a true account of a situation)· Reducing the penalty for marijuana use perhaps sends the wrong signal to teenagers.
I think there’s something wrong (=a problem) with the phone. You’ve spelled my name wrong. (=go along the first etc road) I think we took a wrong turn coming out of town. Take the second turn on the left.
I think we took a wrong turn coming out of town. Take the second turn on the left. He must have taken a wrong turning in the dark.· There is a right way and a wrong way to do it.
· He had ended up going the wrong way down a one-way street.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB· It's a bigger car, with a longer wheelbase: what went wrong?· It was on their return trip north that things went wrong.· He was allegedly detained at the town's Safeway Supermarket after a Friday afternoon shopping expedition went wrong.· If not, what went wrong?· Mrs Bottomley wants to find out what went wrong and see if staff relations problems can be improved.· But this was supposed to be a clandestine operation, and if things went wrong, they would go wrong in secret.· So what went wrong, Geoff?· Whenever anything went wrong, there was no substitute for the maintenance department.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► all sorts/kinds of wrong/crazy etc► back the wrong horse► get out of bed on the wrong side► start/get off on the wrong/right foot► not put a foot wrong► rub somebody up the wrong way► on the right/wrong side of 30/40 etc► get (hold of) the wrong end of the stick
- As far the contract was concerned, I don't know where I went wrong.
- Check your work again and see if you can spot where you went wrong.
- If you follow the easy step-by-step instructions, you really can't go wrong.
- It was soon after the birth of their first child that their relationship started to go wrong.
- Only the two of you know what went wrong.
- The experiment went wrong when the chemicals combined to form a poisonous gas.
- The rescue attempt went badly wrong when the building collapsed.
- But it all went wrong when, some 15 years ago, he flunked math and didn't get into college.
- If not, what went wrong?
- In case anything went wrong, I was prepared to make a dash for Armstrong.
- It is not that juries occasionally go wrong.
- It was obvious that much could go wrong.
- John Hill's son says he's not been given the full facts about what went wrong.
- Research shows that many injured patients simply want to find out what went wrong.
- I've been here a year now, and my boss still gets my name wrong!
- Once again, the government has got it wrong.
- You've got your facts wrong, mate - he doesn't work here any more.
- You must have gotten the directions wrong.
- Don't get me wrong - I like Jenny, but she can be a little bossy.
- Don't get me wrong, I love my family, I just don't want to be with them all the time.
- I like Jenny, don't get me wrong, but I do think she acts a little childishly at times.
- You can't go wrong with a dark gray suit.
- You're barking up the wrong tree if you think Sam can help you.
- Can't help thinking that they are on the right track and it's we who are barking up the wrong tree.
- Could he once again be barking up the wrong tree?
- However, those who advocate a federal takeover of workers' compensation are barking up the wrong tree.
- In retrospect it now seems that both camps were barking up the wrong tree.
- People who feel sorry for my old bridesmaid and travelling companion are barking up the wrong tree.
- They have maybe barked up the wrong tree.
- Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you say you'd never met him before?
- Don't get the wrong idea - the Dixons aren't as arrogant as they sound.
- A lot of people get the wrong idea.
- People have got the wrong idea about this one.
- People often got the wrong idea about Nanny Ogg, and she took care to see that they did.
- He reworked everything he wrote until he had hit the right note of Gailic pedantry.
- So are buskers in Gloucester striking the right note with their audience?
- That would have the merit of simplicity, but would it strike the right note socially?
- My sisters and I got a long lecture on the rights and wrongs of wearing makeup.
- I do not wish to enter into the rights and wrongs of meat consumption versus vegetarianism or alcohol consumption versus abstention.
- Leaving aside the rights and wrongs of that dispute, we all know the importance of representatives.
- Not the rights and wrongs of conscientious objection.
- She would not even bother to argue the rights and wrongs of what had occurred since it would be futile.
- She would worry about the rights and wrongs of the situation in the morning.
- We can generalise from the rights and wrongs of his account of seeing to the use of the other senses as well.
- Its business is not to right wrongs, but to make money.
- Most problems arise from neglect and, since repairs involve skilled labour, righting a wrong can be expensive.
- If you get on the wrong side of Miss Trunchbull she can liquidise you like a carrot in a kitchen blender.
- Linda Smith got on the wrong side of the National Rifle Association recently.
- She was going to find out shortly that she couldn't get on the wrong side of Harry without paying for it.
- Travis, remind me not to get on the wrong side of you again.
- De Niro plays a lawyer, on the right side of the law.
- And then you go out with some other woman and she smells wrong.
- So, in short, if a fish smells fishy it is an indication that it is going off.
- The Adkinsons' neighbors smelled wrong in the air, but pinched their noses closed and kept to themselves.
- Why does fish usually smell fishy?
- A few people, though, were on the right track.
- And other signs helped convince me that I was on the right track.
- Dole was on the right track when he talked about tolerance, but he mysteriously dropped it once he got the nomination.
- He hoped the man was on the right track and did his best to believe that he was.
- I knew I was on the right track when I felt that thrill of pleasure at placing object, not painting it.
- The officers consequently had little idea whether they were on the right track or not.
- You are on the right track so follow your nose.
WORD FAMILYadverbwrongwronglywrongfullyadjectivewrongwrongfulnounwrongverbwrong
1not in the correct way OPP right: You’ve spelt my name wrong. What? Have I done it wrong? I asked him to sort those files, but he’s done it all wrong (=in completely the wrong way).2go wrong a)to stop working properly: Something’s gone wrong with my watch. b)to make a mistake during a process so that you do not get the right result: Follow these instructions and you can’t go wrong (=you are sure to succeed). c)to do something that makes a plan, relationship etc fail: Thinking back on the marriage, I just don’t know where we went wrong.3get something wrong to make a mistake in the way you write, judge, or understand something: This isn’t it. We must have got the address wrong.get/have it all wrong (=understand a situation in completely the wrong way) No, no – you’ve got it all wrong! We’re just friends!4don’t get me wrong spoken used when you think someone may understand your remarks wrongly, or be offended by them: Don’t get me wrong – I like Jenny.5you can’t go wrong (with something) spoken used to say that a particular object will always be suitable, satisfactory, or work well: You can’t go wrong with a little black dress, can you? → come out wrong at come outCOLLOCATIONS– Meaning 2adverbsgo badly/seriously wrong· The book is a thriller about a diamond robbery that goes badly wrong.go horribly/terribly wrong· From that moment on, everything went horribly wrong for the team.go disastrously wrong· Help was close at hand in case the stunt went disastrously wrong.go tragically wrong (=so that death or serious injury results)· A father and son died in a fire after a good deed for a friend went tragically wrong.phrasesthings go wrong· If things go wrong, they’ll blame me.something/nothing/everything goes wrong· If something goes wrong with your machine, you can take it back to the dealer.you can’t go wrong (=you cannot make a mistake)· Turn right and then right again - you really can’t go wrong.if anything can go wrong, it will· I’m sure that if anything can go wrong, it will.wrong1 adjectivewrong2 adverbwrong3 nounwrong4 verb
wrongwrong3 ●●○ noun EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Benjy's too young to know right from wrong.
- Punishment for the wrongs of the regime still needs to be addressed.
- Did the person know the difference between right and wrong?
- He who wanted only to do right was so placed that he must choose between two hideous wrongs.
- So what's in your catalogue of known wrongs?
Longman Language Activatorinformation/numbers/calculations etc
not correct: · For every answer that is wrong, you lose five points.· I think that clock must be wrong (=showing the wrong time).get something wrong: · You must have got my email address wrong.wrong (telephone) number/address/name etc: · I tried to phone him, but it was the wrong number.· This must be the wrong address -- no one of that name lives here
facts, figures, answers etc that are incorrect are wrong because they are not the same as the correct ones: · The information about current prices was incorrect.· incorrect spelling· They discovered later that the doctor had made an incorrect diagnosis.it is incorrect to do/say something: · It's simply incorrect to say that tobacco advertising does not influence young people.
a statement or piece of information that is misleading makes people believe something that is not true, especially because it does not give all the facts: · The article was deliberately misleading, and the newspaper has apologized.· misleading statistics· The Advertising Review Board says the adverts are deliberately misleading.give a misleading impression/statement etc: · Agents often gave a false or misleading description of the houses they were selling.
information, numbers etc that are inaccurate are not exactly right or contain some mistakes: · The old maps were usually inaccurate or incomplete.· TV ratings figures are often inaccurate.· He admitted he had given the committee 'inaccurate, incomplete and unreliable information'. totally/wildly inaccurate (=very inaccurate): · Figures quoted in the article are wildly inaccurate.
: bad grammar/English/Italian etc not spoken or written correctly: · You will lose marks for bad grammar in the exam.· Robert ordered two beers in very bad Spanish.· Masanori is the worst student in the class -- his spelling's bad and his grammar's terrible.
British /be off American if a measurement, result, figure etc is out , it is wrong because the numbers have not been calculated correctly: · These sales figures must be out. We certainly haven't made that much money this year.be out by $10/50 centimetres etc: · My last bank statement was off by $60.
if someone's guess, opinion etc is way off the mark , their idea about a situation is completely wrong: · No, you're way off the mark -- he was born in 1736.
beliefs/ideas/actions etc · People used to believe that the world was flat, but we now know this is wrong.· Alice felt she had made the wrong decision.get the wrong impression · I wouldn't like you to get the wrong impression -- I do enjoy the course, but I just find it very hard work.
: mistaken idea/belief/impression etc an idea, belief etc that people believe is right but is in fact wrong - use this as a polite way of saying someone is wrong: · Many people have the mistaken idea that AIDS cannot spread through heterosexual sex.under the mistaken belief/impression etc: · Pauline was under the mistaken impression that I didn't like her.
based on wrong ideas or incorrect information: · He gave false and misleading statements to the court.· My mother avoided visiting Bali on the quite false assumption that the place is full of tourists.give a false impression/belief: · The title gives a false impression of what the book is actually about.
formal based on incorrect or incomplete information: · There were erroneous reports that the company had issued false statements. erroneous assumption/view/belief etc: · Ricci's book tries to correct this erroneous view of ancient China.
: misplaced trust/loyalty/admiration/concern etc trust, loyalty etc that is wrong because there is no good reason for feeling it: · Richards said, with misplaced confidence, that the ship was 'unsinkable'.· I suppose her chief fault was misplaced trust, rather than any real crime.(do something out of) a sense of misplaced loyalty/admiration etc: · Despite her doubts, she supported the new legislation out of a misplaced sense of loyalty to the leadership.
done with good intentions but based on information or an idea that is wrong: · These decision now seem misguided, if not downright wrong.misguided efforts/attempt/action etc: · It was another of his misguided attempts to save money.(do something in the) misguided belief/hope: · The taxes were introduced in the misguided belief that they would reduce foreign competition.
wrong and a little stupid, because of being based on a lack of understanding: · The young man's speech was full of wrongheaded ideas about "the evils of capitalism".· wrongheaded economic policies
to believe something that is wrong if you are wrong , you think or say something that is not correct: · I thought a holiday in Greece would be cheap, but I was wrong.· Maybe I'm wrong, but I could have sworn the class was at 9.30 a.m.· Why won't he admit he was wrong?be wrong about: · You were wrong about that train - it left at 10.30.be wrong in thinking/believing etc something: · You'd be wrong in thinking we don't encourage disabled students to come to the college.
formal to have an incorrect opinion or belief about something - use this as a polite way of saying someone is wrong: · I thought it was an accident, but I was mistaken.be mistaken about: · Anna realised she had been mistaken about Dennis.you must be mistaken: · I think you must be mistaken. He could not have obtained a key to your room.
to be wrong because you have been given information that is incorrect or untrue: · I think you must have been misinformed -- we don't teach any courses in business studies here.be misinformed about: · The documents clearly show that the public was misled and misinformed about the crisis.
to have the wrong idea about a situation, so that you are unlikely to get the result you want or the right answer to a problem: · I feel that this advertising campaign is on completely the wrong tack.get somebody off on the wrong tack/track: · He admitted that he had gotten us off on the wrong tack, and that we'd need to start again.
to wrongly and stupidly let yourself believe something that you want to believe, but which is not true: · He's kidding himself if he thinks he's going to be a great film director.· Don't delude yourself. They have no intention of offering you a job.
in the wrong position · Someone had moved the road sign so it was pointing in the wrong direction.· You're heading in the wrong direction for the city centre.· The files had been put back in the wrong order.
also the wrong way round British if something is the wrong way around , it is pointing in the opposite direction to the one it should be pointing in: · Tom often writes 'b' and 'd' the wrong way round.· That hat looks a bit strange -- have you got it on the wrong way around?· The torch won't work if you put the batteries in the wrong way round.
British also backwards British, /backward American if something, especially a piece of clothing, is back to front , the back of it is where the front should be: · You've got your sweater on back to front.· Dan appeared in jeans, wearing his cap backward as usual.
if something, especially a piece of clothing, is inside out , the inside of it is on the outside and the outside of it is on the inside: · I put my socks on inside out by mistake.· The wind was so strong, it blew her umbrella inside out.turn something inside out: · I turned the jeans inside out to repair the hem.
if something is upside down , the top of it is at the bottom and the bottom of it is at the top: · You're holding the picture upside down.· The monkey was hanging upside down from a tree.turn something upside down: · Turn the cups upside down and leave them to dry.
not reasonable or necessary · I don't deny that what I did was wrong, but I had no choice at the time.· Do you think violence is always wrong, even in self-defence?wrong with · There's nothing wrong with making money, is there? be wrong (of somebody) to do something · It is wrong to treat people this way -- they should be given a chance to defend themselves.· It was wrong of Sophie to take the money without asking.
something such as criticism or bad treatment of someone that is unjustified is unfair and cannot be shown to have a good reason: · Many disabled people suffer from unjustified discrimination when they apply for jobs.· Brian has the reputation, unjustified in my opinion, of being a bit of a bore.totally/completely unjustified: · I think your criticisms of Mr Ward are completely unjustified.
not fair, reasonable, or true: · It is morally unjustifiable to punish a whole class for the actions of one or two of its members.· unjustifiable accusations
unreasonable demands, requests, orders etc are unfair and not based on any good reason: · I think your attitude is most unreasonable.· I don't think the amount of homework they get is unreasonable.· Even the most caring parents will sometimes make unreasonable demands on their children.it is unreasonable to do something: · Don't you think it's a little unreasonable to charge someone $75 just for parking their car?
an unwarranted action or criticism is not deserved and is not based on any good reason: · Many sportsmen and women consider random drug-testing to be an unwarranted invasion of their privacy.· His attorney called the punishment 'excessively severe' and 'unwarranted'. unwarranted assumptions/beliefs/conclusions: · He warned members of the public not to jump to any unwarranted conclusions about the tragedy.
done for no good reason and causing unnecessary harm or offence: · He has criticised the film industry for its use of gratuitous sex and violence.· There's no point in exchanging gratuitous insults with them.
an unprovoked attack or criticism is directed at someone who did nothing to deserve it: · A man died in an apparently unprovoked attack in central Oxford last night.· Troops have been accused of unprovoked aggression against innocent civilians.
if someone does something without good reason , they do not have a good reason for doing it, and this may lead to trouble or punishment: · Anyone who is late without good reason will be punished.· An employer is unlikely to dismiss an employee without good reason.
standards of good and bad behaviour the basic ideas that a person or a society has about what is morally good and right: · He only knew the morals, customs and beliefs of his mountain village.· the influence of rock music on the minds and morals of young people· Harry doesn't seem to have any morals at all.
the idea or understanding that some things are morally good and some or morally bad: · They're only children, but they do know the difference between right and wrong.· Do we naturally have a sense of right and wrong, or are we taught it?
ideas about what is right and what is wrong, or the degree to which something is morally acceptable: · Victorian commentators were very concerned about public morality generally.· I think we should question the morality of turning away refugees.· Anyone who carried out such an attack obviously has no morality whatsoever.
a system of rules about what is morally right or wrong, especially rules followed by a religious group or people in a particular profession: · What are the differences between Muslim and Christian ethics?· medical ethicscode of ethics (=system of ethics): · As a therapist he has to follow a very strict code of ethics.
personal rules of behaviour, based on an idea of what is morally good and right: · He was a good man who kept up the very highest standards throughout his life.· There has been a serious decline in moral standards among the young people of today.
the ideas that a person or group has about what things are good, right, and important in life: · As a child he had admired his father's values and lifestyle.· a black identity based on black culture and black values· She rejected the traditional values of her society.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY He’s too young to know right from wrong. Those who do wrong should be punished. I tried to explain everything to her, but it came out all wrong (=not in the way I intended). We must not let these documents fall into the wrong hands. The conclusions of the report are fundamentally wrong. If you guess correctly, you have another turn. The plan had gone horribly wrong. You have to be in the right frame of mind to play well. What you did wasn’t illegal, but it was morally wrong. There’s nothing wrong with the data. I think there’s something wrong (=a problem) with the phone. You’ve spelled my name wrong. He must have taken a wrong turning in the dark.
He’s too young to know right from wrong. Those who do wrong should be punished. (=they are perfect) Nathan adored her, and she could do no wrong in his eyes.
Nathan adored her, and she could do no wrong in his eyes. (=bring justice to an unfair situation)
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· Unfortunately all the advice they gave me was wrong.
· Do you know the right answer to this question?
· Both theories are based on a single wrong assumption.
(=go wrong in a serious way)· Their election campaign had gone badly wrong.
· Some of our calculations were wrong.
· I think you’ve made the right choice.
I tried to explain everything to her, but it came out all wrong (=not in the way I intended).· Reporters saw the couple together and leapt to the wrong conclusion.
· You’re dead wrong, so let me handle this.
· I thought I'd made the wrong decision marrying Jeff.
· The doctors apparently made an incorrect diagnosis.
· Are you sure this is the right direction for Shipton?
· It’s no use putting together a beautifully-written argument if you get your facts wrong.
We must not let these documents fall into the wrong hands. (=close to being correct) I guessed it would cost $100 and it was $110, so I was not far out.
I guessed it would cost $100 and it was $110, so I was not far out. The conclusions of the report are fundamentally wrong.· The straining noises from the engine told him that he was in the wrong gear.
If you guess correctly, you have another turn. The plan had gone horribly wrong.· The advertisement gave a misleading impression of the product.
· He was jailed for providing false information to the police.
· It wasn’t the right kind of holiday for me.
You have to be in the right frame of mind to play well. What you did wasn’t illegal, but it was morally wrong. (=made by mistake)· One wrong move and the business might never recover.
(=in the wrong direction)· One false move, and she’d fall over the edge.
There’s nothing wrong with the data.· The pages had been put in the wrong order.
· See if you can prove me wrong.
· I was worried there was something seriously wrong with me.
(=ones that do not give a true account of a situation)· Reducing the penalty for marijuana use perhaps sends the wrong signal to teenagers.
I think there’s something wrong (=a problem) with the phone. You’ve spelled my name wrong. (=go along the first etc road) I think we took a wrong turn coming out of town. Take the second turn on the left.
I think we took a wrong turn coming out of town. Take the second turn on the left. He must have taken a wrong turning in the dark.· There is a right way and a wrong way to do it.
· He had ended up going the wrong way down a one-way street.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Ya do one fucken thing wrong in yur whole goddamn life an ya got ta pay fer it till kingdom come!· There was only one thing wrong.· There was only one thing wrong with my room in this Dreamland Hotel.· The only thing wrong was my shyness.· Miss Fingerstop told me the one thing wrong with her life was that it lacked surprise.· The only thing wrong was that secretly she hated her life and everything about it.
VERB· You may prefer to do wrong.· From his description the firm could do no wrong.· Governments in these countries could apparently do no wrong as their economies soared.· She thinks he can do no wrong.· Off in another country, seeing things, a wonderful place where you can do no wrong.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► two wrongs don’t make a rightPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► all sorts/kinds of wrong/crazy etc► back the wrong horse► get out of bed on the wrong side► start/get off on the wrong/right foot► not put a foot wrong► rub somebody up the wrong way► on the right/wrong side of 30/40 etc► get (hold of) the wrong end of the stick
- Hardin publicly admitted he had been in the wrong.
- I was in the wrong place.
- I was unable to use the public toilets since I was told I was in the wrong one whichever I went to.
- It was somewhat over-elaborate, or, rather, the complications were in the wrong places.
- Jimmy Stewart is in the wrong place at the wrong time.
- Shaw was in the wrong marriage, but Margarett was in the wrong life.
- They prod us with their guns, they curse us, they shove anyone they think is in the wrong place.
- We were in the wrong spot a couple of times.
- Why did he always choose to lose his temper over issues in which he was in the wrong?
- Most of Peggy's songs are about men who've done her wrong.
- You're barking up the wrong tree if you think Sam can help you.
- Can't help thinking that they are on the right track and it's we who are barking up the wrong tree.
- Could he once again be barking up the wrong tree?
- However, those who advocate a federal takeover of workers' compensation are barking up the wrong tree.
- In retrospect it now seems that both camps were barking up the wrong tree.
- People who feel sorry for my old bridesmaid and travelling companion are barking up the wrong tree.
- They have maybe barked up the wrong tree.
- Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you say you'd never met him before?
- Don't get the wrong idea - the Dixons aren't as arrogant as they sound.
- A lot of people get the wrong idea.
- People have got the wrong idea about this one.
- People often got the wrong idea about Nanny Ogg, and she took care to see that they did.
- He reworked everything he wrote until he had hit the right note of Gailic pedantry.
- So are buskers in Gloucester striking the right note with their audience?
- That would have the merit of simplicity, but would it strike the right note socially?
- My sisters and I got a long lecture on the rights and wrongs of wearing makeup.
- I do not wish to enter into the rights and wrongs of meat consumption versus vegetarianism or alcohol consumption versus abstention.
- Leaving aside the rights and wrongs of that dispute, we all know the importance of representatives.
- Not the rights and wrongs of conscientious objection.
- She would not even bother to argue the rights and wrongs of what had occurred since it would be futile.
- She would worry about the rights and wrongs of the situation in the morning.
- We can generalise from the rights and wrongs of his account of seeing to the use of the other senses as well.
- Its business is not to right wrongs, but to make money.
- Most problems arise from neglect and, since repairs involve skilled labour, righting a wrong can be expensive.
- If you get on the wrong side of Miss Trunchbull she can liquidise you like a carrot in a kitchen blender.
- Linda Smith got on the wrong side of the National Rifle Association recently.
- She was going to find out shortly that she couldn't get on the wrong side of Harry without paying for it.
- Travis, remind me not to get on the wrong side of you again.
- De Niro plays a lawyer, on the right side of the law.
- And then you go out with some other woman and she smells wrong.
- So, in short, if a fish smells fishy it is an indication that it is going off.
- The Adkinsons' neighbors smelled wrong in the air, but pinched their noses closed and kept to themselves.
- Why does fish usually smell fishy?
- A few people, though, were on the right track.
- And other signs helped convince me that I was on the right track.
- Dole was on the right track when he talked about tolerance, but he mysteriously dropped it once he got the nomination.
- He hoped the man was on the right track and did his best to believe that he was.
- I knew I was on the right track when I felt that thrill of pleasure at placing object, not painting it.
- The officers consequently had little idea whether they were on the right track or not.
- You are on the right track so follow your nose.
WORD FAMILYadverbwrongwronglywrongfullyadjectivewrongwrongfulnounwrongverbwrong
1[uncountable] behaviour that is not morally right: He’s too young to know right from wrong. Those who do wrong should be punished.somebody can do no wrong (=they are perfect) Nathan adored her, and she could do no wrong in his eyes.2[countable] an action, judgment, or situation that is unfair: The black population suffered countless wrongs at the hands of a racist regime.right a wrong (=bring justice to an unfair situation)3be in the wrong to make a mistake or deserve the blame for something: Which driver was in the wrong?4do somebody wrong to treat someone badly and unfairly – used humorously5two wrongs don’t make a right spoken used to say that if someone does something bad to you, you should not do something bad to themwrong1 adjectivewrong2 adverbwrong3 nounwrong4 verb
wrongwrong4 verb [transitive] VERB TABLE
wrong
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | wrong |
| he, she, it | wrongs | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | wronged |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have wronged |
| he, she, it | has wronged | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had wronged |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will wrong |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have wronged |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am wronging |
| he, she, it | is wronging | |
| you, we, they | are wronging | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was wronging |
| you, we, they | were wronging | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been wronging |
| he, she, it | has been wronging | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been wronging |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be wronging |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been wronging |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Both athletes felt they had been wronged by the committee's decision.
- He feels himself wronged by unspoken accusations.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES I tried to explain everything to her, but it came out all wrong (=not in the way I intended). We must not let these documents fall into the wrong hands. The conclusions of the report are fundamentally wrong. If you guess correctly, you have another turn. The plan had gone horribly wrong. You have to be in the right frame of mind to play well. What you did wasn’t illegal, but it was morally wrong. There’s nothing wrong with the data. I think there’s something wrong (=a problem) with the phone. You’ve spelled my name wrong. He must have taken a wrong turning in the dark.
· Unfortunately all the advice they gave me was wrong.
· Do you know the right answer to this question?
· Both theories are based on a single wrong assumption.
(=go wrong in a serious way)· Their election campaign had gone badly wrong.
· Some of our calculations were wrong.
· I think you’ve made the right choice.
I tried to explain everything to her, but it came out all wrong (=not in the way I intended).· Reporters saw the couple together and leapt to the wrong conclusion.
· You’re dead wrong, so let me handle this.
· I thought I'd made the wrong decision marrying Jeff.
· The doctors apparently made an incorrect diagnosis.
· Are you sure this is the right direction for Shipton?
· It’s no use putting together a beautifully-written argument if you get your facts wrong.
We must not let these documents fall into the wrong hands. (=close to being correct) I guessed it would cost $100 and it was $110, so I was not far out.
I guessed it would cost $100 and it was $110, so I was not far out. The conclusions of the report are fundamentally wrong.· The straining noises from the engine told him that he was in the wrong gear.
If you guess correctly, you have another turn. The plan had gone horribly wrong.· The advertisement gave a misleading impression of the product.
· He was jailed for providing false information to the police.
· It wasn’t the right kind of holiday for me.
You have to be in the right frame of mind to play well. What you did wasn’t illegal, but it was morally wrong. (=made by mistake)· One wrong move and the business might never recover.
(=in the wrong direction)· One false move, and she’d fall over the edge.
There’s nothing wrong with the data.· The pages had been put in the wrong order.
· See if you can prove me wrong.
· I was worried there was something seriously wrong with me.
(=ones that do not give a true account of a situation)· Reducing the penalty for marijuana use perhaps sends the wrong signal to teenagers.
I think there’s something wrong (=a problem) with the phone. You’ve spelled my name wrong. (=go along the first etc road) I think we took a wrong turn coming out of town. Take the second turn on the left.
I think we took a wrong turn coming out of town. Take the second turn on the left. He must have taken a wrong turning in the dark.· There is a right way and a wrong way to do it.
· He had ended up going the wrong way down a one-way street.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB· So who better than a high-powered social scientist who also happens to be a Roman Catholic to prove them wrong?· Watch what you say about Alphabet Soup, because the grayish 5-year-old likes to prove people wrong.· Tom Watson proved me wrong only four years later.· A win will prove them wrong and put a whole new spin on this season.· She would prove him wrong whatever happened.· Gwynn considers himself a self- motivator, but clearly he relishes proving others wrong.· They have been revelling in proving people wrong for a decade now.· Perhaps, he told himself that morning, the parish would prove his forecast wrong.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► all sorts/kinds of wrong/crazy etc► back the wrong horse► get out of bed on the wrong side► start/get off on the wrong/right foot► not put a foot wrong► rub somebody up the wrong way► on the right/wrong side of 30/40 etc► get (hold of) the wrong end of the stick
- You're barking up the wrong tree if you think Sam can help you.
- Can't help thinking that they are on the right track and it's we who are barking up the wrong tree.
- Could he once again be barking up the wrong tree?
- However, those who advocate a federal takeover of workers' compensation are barking up the wrong tree.
- In retrospect it now seems that both camps were barking up the wrong tree.
- People who feel sorry for my old bridesmaid and travelling companion are barking up the wrong tree.
- They have maybe barked up the wrong tree.
- Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you say you'd never met him before?
- Don't get the wrong idea - the Dixons aren't as arrogant as they sound.
- A lot of people get the wrong idea.
- People have got the wrong idea about this one.
- People often got the wrong idea about Nanny Ogg, and she took care to see that they did.
- He reworked everything he wrote until he had hit the right note of Gailic pedantry.
- So are buskers in Gloucester striking the right note with their audience?
- That would have the merit of simplicity, but would it strike the right note socially?
- My sisters and I got a long lecture on the rights and wrongs of wearing makeup.
- I do not wish to enter into the rights and wrongs of meat consumption versus vegetarianism or alcohol consumption versus abstention.
- Leaving aside the rights and wrongs of that dispute, we all know the importance of representatives.
- Not the rights and wrongs of conscientious objection.
- She would not even bother to argue the rights and wrongs of what had occurred since it would be futile.
- She would worry about the rights and wrongs of the situation in the morning.
- We can generalise from the rights and wrongs of his account of seeing to the use of the other senses as well.
- Its business is not to right wrongs, but to make money.
- Most problems arise from neglect and, since repairs involve skilled labour, righting a wrong can be expensive.
- If you get on the wrong side of Miss Trunchbull she can liquidise you like a carrot in a kitchen blender.
- Linda Smith got on the wrong side of the National Rifle Association recently.
- She was going to find out shortly that she couldn't get on the wrong side of Harry without paying for it.
- Travis, remind me not to get on the wrong side of you again.
- De Niro plays a lawyer, on the right side of the law.
- And then you go out with some other woman and she smells wrong.
- So, in short, if a fish smells fishy it is an indication that it is going off.
- The Adkinsons' neighbors smelled wrong in the air, but pinched their noses closed and kept to themselves.
- Why does fish usually smell fishy?
- A few people, though, were on the right track.
- And other signs helped convince me that I was on the right track.
- Dole was on the right track when he talked about tolerance, but he mysteriously dropped it once he got the nomination.
- He hoped the man was on the right track and did his best to believe that he was.
- I knew I was on the right track when I felt that thrill of pleasure at placing object, not painting it.
- The officers consequently had little idea whether they were on the right track or not.
- You are on the right track so follow your nose.
WORD FAMILYadverbwrongwronglywrongfullyadjectivewrongwrongfulnounwrongverbwrong
formal to treat or judge someone unfairly: Both sides felt that they had been wronged.