mistake

mis|take¹ W2S2 [mıˈsteık] n

1.)

something that has been done in the wrong way, or an opinion or statement that is incorrect

→↑error mistake in

▪ We may have made a mistake in our calculations.

▪ a mistake in the law

▪ Ivan's work is always full of mistakes .

▪ The article was littered with spelling mistakes .

▪ One silly mistake cost them the match.

▪ The most common mistake is to plant them too deep.

▪ Please believe me. It was an honest mistake .

▪ Did he admit his mistake ?

▪ He warned that correcting the mistakes of the present administration would not be easy.

▪ It is a mistake to think that violence can bring a solution to our problems.

▪ There must be some mistake with the bill.

see usage note ↑fault¹

2.)

something you do that is not sensible or has a bad result

▪ Buying the house seemed a great idea at the time, but now I can see it was a mistake.

▪ It's your decision, but I warn you - you're making a mistake .

make the mistake of doing sth

▪ I stupidly made the mistake of giving them my phone number.

big/terrible/ghastly etc mistake

▪ Marrying him was the biggest mistake she ever made .

▪ It proved to be a costly mistake.

▪ She only realized her mistake when it was too late.

▪ Some of our decisions were wrong, but you have to learn from your mistakes .

make the same mistake (again/twice)

▪ I don't intend to make the same mistake again.

3.) by mistake

if you do something by mistake, you do it without intending to

= ↑accidentally

≠ ↑deliberately, ↑on purpose

▪ Someone must have left the door open by mistake.

▪ I'm sorry, this letter is addressed to you - I opened it by mistake.

4.) we all make mistakes

spoken used to tell someone not to be worried because they have made a mistake

5.) make no mistake (about it)

spoken used to emphasize that what you are saying is true, especially when you are warning about something serious or dangerous

▪ Make no mistake, this is the most serious threat our industry has ever seen.

6.) and no mistake

BrE spoken informal used to emphasize the description you have just given

▪ Miles was a heartbreaker, and no mistake!

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COLLOCATES for sense 1

make a mistake

be full of mistakes/be littered with mistakes (=have a lot of mistakes in it )

spelling mistake

silly mistake

common mistake

honest mistake (=something not done deliberately)

admit your mistake (=admit that you have made a mistake)

correct a mistake

it is a mistake to think/assume/imagine etc that

there must be some mistake (=used when you think someone has made a mistake)

HINT sense 1

Do not say 'do a mistake'. Say make a mistake.

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mistake ²

mistake² past tense mistook [-ˈstuk] past participle mistaken [-ˈsteıkən]

v [T]

[Date: 1300-1400; : Old Norse; Origin: mistaka]

1.) to understand something wrongly

▪ She mistook my meaning entirely.

▪ Ken mistook her concern, thinking she was interested in him for another reason.

2.) you can't mistake sb/sth

used to say that someone or something is very easy to recognize

▪ You can't mistake her. She's the one with the long red hair.

3.) there is no mistaking sb/sth

used to say that you are certain about something

▪ There's no mistaking whose children they are - they all look just like Joe.

mistake for / [mistake sb/sth for sb/sth] phr v

to wrongly think that one person or thing is someone or something else

▪ A woman mistook him for a well-known actor, and asked him for his autograph.

▪ The doctor mistook the symptoms for blood poisoning.