Meaning & use
make a wrong move
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Meanings
phraseidiom
To do something that turns out to be a mistake and causes trouble or loss.
Grammar: A fixed phrase; the verb changes with tense, so you can say 'made a wrong move' or 'is making a wrong move'.
Patterns
- make a wrong move
- make a wrong move by doing something
- one wrong move
The company made a wrong move when it raised prices during a recession.
If you make a wrong move now, the whole deal could fall apart.
She made a wrong move by trusting him with the money.
phraseidiomsport
In games and sports, to choose a bad action that puts you in a weaker position.
Grammar: Common in board games and sports commentary; the phrase stays the same but the verb can be in any tense.
Patterns
- make a wrong move
- make a wrong move in something
He made a wrong move with his queen and lost the game.
One wrong move in chess can cost you the whole match.
phraseidiom
To act in a way that is dangerous or likely to make someone angry.
Grammar: Often used in warnings, especially the short form 'one wrong move'.
Patterns
- make a wrong move
- one wrong move
The police were watching, and one wrong move would have landed him in jail.
Be careful around the boss today; make a wrong move and she will notice.
Common combinations
- one wrong move
- One wrong move and the whole plan is ruined.
- make a wrong move by doing something
- He made a wrong move by quitting before he had another job.
- a wrong move for someone
- Cutting the budget was a wrong move for the new manager.
- without making a wrong move
- She finished the negotiation without making a wrong move.
- make a wrong move in business
- They made a wrong move in business and never recovered.
Synonyms and how they differ
- make a mistake
- More general and less serious; it does not always suggest that the mistake causes real trouble.
- misstep
- A more formal noun for a bad decision; it often appears in news writing about politics or business.
- blunder
- Stronger than 'make a wrong move'; it suggests a careless and embarrassing error.
Opposites
Word family
- wrong move noun
- The noun phrase on its own, meaning a bad action or decision.
- move noun
- An action you take, especially in a game, plan, or negotiation.
Commonly confused: make a wrong move or make a false move?
make a wrong move vs make a false move
This is a different fixed phrase meaning to do something that shows your real intentions or gives you away; it is not simply a mistake.
Practice
The negotiator warned that ___ wrong move could destroy months of talks.
Choose one answer.
'One wrong move' is the fixed warning phrase meaning a single bad action. 'A one' is not used before a noun, and 'some' does not fit the singular countable noun here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “make a wrong move”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.