miscue

1 of 2

noun

mis·​cue ˌmis-ˈkyü 

ˈmis-ˌkyü

1

: a faulty stroke in billiards in which the cue slips

2

: mistake, slip

miscue

2 of 2

verb

miscued; miscuing; miscues

intransitive verb

: to make a miscue

Synonyms

Noun

• blunder
• bobble
• boo-boo
• boob [British]
• brick
• clanger [British]
• clinker
• error
• fault
• flub
• fluff
• fumble
• gaff
• gaffe
• goof
• inaccuracy
• lapse
• misstep
• mistake
• oversight
• screwup
• slip
• slipup
• stumble
• trip

Examples of miscue in a Sentence

Noun

the slightest miscue could make the trapeze artist lose his grip and fall to the mat below

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Answering, Balcer stole the ball from Sheridan and slammed it home, punishing a rare miscue by the 2022 NWSL goalkeeper of the year. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024

The most consequential miscues, however, came on Turner’s two-base passed ball the following inning. —Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1889, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

miscue

1 of 2 noun

mis·​cue (ˈ)mis-ˈkyü 

1

: a faulty stroke in billiards in which the cue slips

2

: mistake entry 2 sense 2, slip

miscue

2 of 2 verb

1

: to make a miscue

2

a

: to miss a stage cue

b

: to answer a wrong cue