mistake
noun /mɪˈsteɪk/
/mɪˈsteɪk/
Idioms - It's easy to make a mistake.
- Don't worry, we all make mistakes.
- You are making a big mistake.
- Leaving school so young was the biggest mistake of my life.
- a terrible/serious/huge mistake
- It’s a common mistake (= one that a lot of people make).
- You must try to learn from your mistakes.
- He is determined not to repeat the mistakes of his predecessors.
- This letter is addressed to someone else—there must be some mistake.
- the mistake of doing something I made the mistake of giving him my address.
- it is a mistake to do something It would be a mistake to ignore his opinion.
- It was a big mistake on my part to have trusted her.
Extra ExamplesTopics Opinion and argumenta1, Difficulty and failurea1- All those problems because of one little mistake!
- Don't make the same mistake as I did.
- Don't worry about it—it's an easy mistake to make!
- I kept telling myself that it was all a terrible mistake.
- I made a mistake about her.
- It is a great mistake to assume that your children will agree with you.
- It would be a mistake to think that this is a cheap option.
- Mistakes are bound to happen sometimes.
- Ordinary people are paying for the government's mistakes.
- The company has learned from its past mistakes.
- They all commit similar mistakes.
- This dress was an expensive mistake.
- Too late, she realized her mistake.
- We can help you avoid costly mistakes.
- Be willing to admit your mistakes.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- colossal
- great
- …
- make
- commit
- repeat
- …
- happen
- occur
- by mistake
- mistake about
- all a mistake
- an easy mistake to make
- make the mistake of doing something
- …
- It's a common mistake among learners of English.
- Her essay is full of spelling mistakes.
- If students correct their own mistakes, learning improves.
- mistake (in) doing something The waiter made a mistake (in) adding up the bill.
Synonyms mistakemistake- error
- inaccuracy
- slip
- howler
- misprint
- mistake a word or figure that is not said or written down correctly:
- It’s a common mistake among learners of English.
- spelling mistakes
- error (rather formal) a word, figure, etc. that is not said or written down correctly:
- There are too many errors in your work.
- inaccuracy (rather formal) a piece of information that is not exactly correct:
- The article is full of inaccuracies.
- slip a small mistake, usually made by being careless or not paying attention
- howler (informal, especially British English) a stupid mistake, especially in what somebody says or writes:
- The report is full of howlers.
- misprint a small mistake in a printed text
- a(n) mistake/error/inaccuracy/slip/howler/misprint in something
- to make a(n) mistake/error/slip/howler
- to contain/be full of mistakes/errors/inaccuracies/howlers/misprints
Extra Examples- It isn't possible to eliminate all mistakes.
- The teacher kindly pointed out the mistake.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- colossal
- great
- …
- make
- commit
- repeat
- …
- happen
- occur
- by mistake
- mistake about
- all a mistake
- an easy mistake to make
- make the mistake of doing something
- …
Word Originlate Middle English (as a verb): from Old Norse mistaka ‘take in error’, probably influenced in sense by Old French mesprendre.
Idioms
and no mistake
- (old-fashioned, especially British English) used to show that you are sure about the truth of what you have just said
- This is a strange business and no mistake.
by mistake
- by accident; without intending to
- I took your bag instead of mine by mistake.
in mistake for something
- thinking that something is something else
- Children may eat pills in mistake for sweets.
make no mistake (about something)
- used to emphasize what you are saying, especially when you want to warn somebody about something
- Make no mistake (about it), this is one crisis that won’t just go away.