misidentify
verb
mis·iden·ti·fy
ˌmis-ī-ˈden-tə-ˌfī 
-ə-ˈden-
misidentified; misidentifying
: to identify (someone or something) incorrectly
… a coroner apparently misidentified the bullet he removed from the victim, stating that its caliber differed from that of the bullet entered as evidence against the known shooter.—
David Fisher
David FisherWhile examining the American Museum's collection, I came across a mongoose specimen that was clearly misidentified.—W. Chris Wozencraft
W. Chris WozencraftExamples of misidentify in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While the gun was not visible to surveillance cameras, Fraser stressed, the system did not misidentify the weapon in this case.
—Amanda Musa, CNN, 1 Feb. 2025
Detection software can misidentify writing as AI-generated and are biased against non-native English speakers, and education experts warn against using the detectors in a disciplinary context.
—Rachel Hale, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2025
If your database is filled with old contact information, AI tools may misidentify donors, wasting time on ineffective outreach that could harm donor relationships.
—Raviraj Hegde, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
This is because a VPN may route your connection through a server in a different location, causing the app to misidentify your current position.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 25 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for misidentify 
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Amanda Musa, CNN, 1 Feb. 2025
Detection software can misidentify writing as AI-generated and are biased against non-native English speakers, and education experts warn against using the detectors in a disciplinary context.
—Rachel Hale, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2025
If your database is filled with old contact information, AI tools may misidentify donors, wasting time on ineffective outreach that could harm donor relationships.
—Raviraj Hegde, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
This is because a VPN may route your connection through a server in a different location, causing the app to misidentify your current position.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 25 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for misidentify
Dictionary Entries Near misidentify
Cite this Entry
“Misidentify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misidentify. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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