Mislisten

verb

verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To misunderstand or misinterpret something to which one listens, especially as a result of poor attention.

    ""I know that," said Nancy, as she stood beside the mourning mother, twisting the corner of her apron in her fingers, "many's the talk me and Mr. Murphy have had about him, and I do say he was the peaceablest boy I ever see, never misliten' any body.""

Example

More examples

""I know that," said Nancy, as she stood beside the mourning mother, twisting the corner of her apron in her fingers, "many's the talk me and Mr. Murphy have had about him, and I do say he was the peaceablest boy I ever see, never misliten' any body.""

Etymology

From mis- + listen.

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