misidentify

verb

mis·​iden·​ti·​fy ˌmis-ī-ˈden-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce misidentify (audio)
-ə-ˈden-
misidentified; misidentifying

transitive verb

: 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
While examining the American Museum's collection, I came across a mongoose specimen that was clearly misidentified.W. Chris Wozencraft

Examples of misidentify in a Sentence

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.
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 

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of misidentify was in 1867

Dictionary Entries Near misidentify

Cite this Entry

“Misidentify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misidentify. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.

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