mislead

verb

mis·​lead ˌmis-ˈlēd How to pronounce mislead (audio)
misled ˌmis-ˈled How to pronounce mislead (audio) ; misleading

transitive verb

: to lead in a wrong direction or into a mistaken action or belief often by deliberate deceit
His comments were a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.

intransitive verb

: to lead astray : give a wrong impression
exciting as they are, they misleadE. M. Forster
misleader noun
misleadingly adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for mislead

deceive, mislead, delude, beguile mean to lead astray or frustrate usually by underhandedness.

deceive implies imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness.

tried to deceive me about the cost

mislead implies a leading astray that may or may not be intentional.

I was misled by the confusing sign

delude implies deceiving so thoroughly as to obscure the truth.

we were deluded into thinking we were safe

beguile stresses the use of charm and persuasion in deceiving.

was beguiled by false promises

Examples of mislead in a Sentence

We believe that her comments were deliberately meant to mislead the public. We believe that her comments were deliberately meant to mislead.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Avoiding the Pitfalls of Greenwashing Greenwashing—the practice of misleading consumers about environmental efforts—was coined by environmentalist Jay Westerveld nearly 40 years ago, when hotels promoted towel reuse as an environmental initiative while primarily aiming to cut costs. Anjali Chaudhry, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025 The company misled him about the cost of the loan, which was loaded with junk fees and devoured 60% of his paychecks. Mike Calhoun, Sun Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2025 Someone close to you might mislead you either intentionally or on purpose. Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 19 Mar. 2025 Last week, attorneys for the former five-term Miami-Dade County Commissioner Joe Martinez asked a judge for a new trial, saying defense attorneys and jurors were misled by state prosecutors who argued that Martinez created legislation in order to benefit a constituent. Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mislead

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of mislead was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mislead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mislead. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

mislead

verb
mis·​lead (ˈ)mis-ˈlēd How to pronounce mislead (audio)
misled -ˈled How to pronounce mislead (audio) ; misleading
: to lead in a wrong direction or into a mistaken action or belief
misleading adjective

Legal Definition

mislead

verb
mis·​lead mis-ˈlēd How to pronounce mislead (audio)
misled -ˈled How to pronounce mislead (audio) ; misleading

transitive verb

: to lead into a mistaken action or belief : to cause to have a false impression

intransitive verb

: to create a false impression compare deceive

More from Merriam-Webster on mislead

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