wrong

wrong¹ W1S1 [rɔŋ US ro:ŋ] adj

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1¦(not correct)¦

2 be wrong (about somebody/something)

3¦(problems)¦

4¦(not the right one)¦

5¦(not morally right)¦

6¦(not suitable)¦

7¦(not working)¦

8 be the wrong way round/around

9 the wrong way up

10 take something the wrong way

11 be in the wrong place at the wrong time

12 get on the wrong side of somebody

13 get on the wrong side of the law

14 get off on the wrong foot

15 get the wrong end of the stick

16 be on the wrong track/tack

17 be from the wrong side of the tracks

18 be the wrong side of thirty/forty etc

19 correct me if I'm wrong

20 you're not wrong

21 fall/get into the wrong hands

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[Date: 1100-1200; : Old Norse; Origin: rangr 'not correct or as planned']

1.) ¦(NOT CORRECT)¦

not correct, and not based on true facts

≠ ↑right

▪ Your calculations must be wrong.

▪ I think I got question 3 wrong .

it is wrong to do sth

▪ 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.

2.) be wrong (about sb/sth)

to not be right in what you think or believe about someone or something

= ↑mistaken

≠ ↑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.

3.) ¦(PROBLEMS)¦

used to describe a situation where there are problems, or when someone is ill or unhappy

there is sth wrong/sth 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 any more.

▪ 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 .

4.) ¦(NOT THE RIGHT ONE)¦

not the one that you intended or the one that you really want

≠ ↑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) .

5.) ¦(NOT MORALLY RIGHT)¦

not morally right or acceptable

≠ ↑right it is wrong that

▪ It's wrong that people should have to sleep on the streets.

it is wrong to do sth

▪ 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.

6.) ¦(NOT SUITABLE)¦

not suitable for a particular purpose, situation, or person

≠ ↑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) .

7.) ¦(NOT WORKING)¦

if something is wrong with a vehicle or machine, it stops working properly

wrong with

▪ There's something wrong with the car again.

→go wrong at ↑wrong² (2)

8.) be 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.

9.) the wrong way up

if something is the wrong way up, the top is where the bottom should be

= ↑upside down

▪ The painting was hung the wrong way up.

10.) take sth 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.

11.) be in the wrong place at the wrong time

spoken to get involved in trouble without intending to

12.) get on the wrong side of sb

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.

13.) get on the wrong side of the law

to get into trouble with the police

14.) get off on the wrong foot

to start a job, relationship etc badly by making a mistake that annoys people

15.) get the wrong end of the stick

BrE 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.

16.) be on the wrong track/tack

to have the wrong idea about a situation so that you are unlikely to get the result you want

17.) be from the wrong side of the tracks

AmE to be from a poor part of a town or a poor part of society

18.) be 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)

19.) 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?

20.) you're not wrong

spoken used to agree with someone

▪ 'This government is ruining the country!' 'You're not wrong there!'

21.) fall/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 people

wrong ²

wrong² S2 adv

1.) not in the correct way

≠ ↑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) .

2.) go 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.

3.) get sth 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!

4.) don'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.

5.) you can't go wrong (with sth)

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 out

wrong ³

wrong³ n

1.) [U]

behaviour that is not morally right

▪ He's too young to know right from wrong .

▪ Those who do wrong should be punished.

sb can do no wrong

(=they are perfect)

▪ Nathan adored her, and she could do no wrong in his eyes.

2.)

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)

3.) be in the wrong

to make a mistake or deserve the blame for something

▪ Which driver was in the wrong?

4.) do sb wrong

to treat someone badly and unfairly - used humorously

5.) two 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 them

wrong ⁴

wrong⁴ v [T]

formal to treat or judge someone unfairly

▪ Both sides felt that they had been wronged.