misstep

noun

mis·​step ˌmis-ˈstep 

1

: a mistake in judgment or action : blunder

missteps that led to the project's failure

2

: a wrong step

took a misstep and fell

Synonyms of misstep

• mistake

Examples of misstep in a Sentence

Their decision to relocate the company was a major misstep.

another misstep like that, and the company could go belly-up

Recent Examples on the Web

But after a marketing misstep in the third quarter, chief executive officer Michelle Gass has been reminded anew of the value of a little wholesale diversification. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026

Two of the others were attributed to blocking missteps by running backs Mallory and Wheatley-Humphrey. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026

Wood is improving week by week, even if there’s a misstep along the way. — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026

Sometimes those improvements are gleaned from people, and other times from missteps. — Carey Bringle, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for misstep

• bicep
• doorstep
• footstep
• instep
• sidestep
• cep
• hep
• pep
• prep
• rep
• sep
• step

Kids Definition

misstep

noun

mis·​step (ˈ)mis-ˈstep 

1

: a wrong step

2

: mistake entry 2 sense 2, blunder