Miscarry

//ˌmɪsˈkæɹi// verb

verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To have an unfortunate accident of some kind; to be killed, or come to harm. obsolete
  2. 2
    suffer a miscarriage wordnet
  3. 3
    To go astray; to do something wrong. archaic
  4. 4
    be unsuccessful wordnet
  5. 5
    To have a miscarriage; to involuntarily abort a foetus.
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    To fail to achieve some purpose; to be unsuccessful, to go wrong (of a business, project etc.).

    "So, if a Sonne that is by his Father ſent about Merchandize, doe ſinfully miſcarry vpon the Sea; the imputation of his vvickedneſſe, by your rule, ſhould be impoſed vpon his Father that ſent him: […]"

  2. 7
    Of a letter etc.: to fail to reach its intended recipient.

    "Sir Nathaniel, this Biron is one of the votaries with the king; and here he hath framed a letter to a sequent of the stranger queen's, which accidentally, or by the way of progression, hath miscarried."

Synonyms

All synonyms
failabortbackfireboomerangbreak downcome to grief

Example

More examples

"If men quarrel, and one strike a woman with child and she miscarry indeed, but live herself: he shall be answerable for so much damage as the woman's husband shall require, and as arbiters shall award."

Etymology

From Middle English miscarien. By surface analysis, mis- + carry.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.