Meaning & use
misdirect
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To send someone or something to the wrong place or in the wrong direction.
Grammar: Takes an object: misdirect a letter, misdirect a traveler.
Patterns
- misdirect someone
- misdirect something to something
The faulty sign misdirected us away from the hotel.
If you misdirect the package, it may never arrive.
The pilot was misdirected by incorrect instructions from the tower.
verbtransitive
To give someone wrong guidance or advice, leading them to a wrong decision.
Grammar: Takes an object: misdirect a student, misdirect the public.
Patterns
- misdirect someone
- misdirect someone about something
The manual misdirects users about how to reset the device.
He felt the counselor had misdirected him about his career options.
Don't misdirect the team with outdated information.
verbtransitivefigurative
To aim or use something for a wrong purpose or toward a wrong target.
Grammar: Often used figuratively: misdirect your anger, misdirect resources.
Patterns
- misdirect something
- misdirect something at someone
She misdirected her anger at her colleagues instead of the real cause.
The company misdirected its funds into a failing project.
His energy was misdirected into unimportant details.
Word forms
| third person singular | misdirects |
|---|---|
| past tense | misdirected |
| past participle | misdirected |
| -ing form | misdirecting |
Common combinations
- misdirect someone's attention
- The magician misdirected our attention while he made the coin disappear.
- misdirect anger
- It's easy to misdirect anger at innocent people when you're stressed.
- misdirect a letter
- The post office misdirected my letter to the wrong city.
- misdirect resources
- The manager misdirected resources to a project that was already failing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- misguide
- Similar but more formal and usually about advice or beliefs, not physical direction.
- mislead
- Focuses on giving a false impression rather than sending someone the wrong way.
- misroute
- A technical term used for mail or data sent to the wrong destination.
Opposites
Word family
- misdirection noun
- The act of sending or guiding someone wrongly.
- misdirected adjective
- Aimed or sent toward the wrong target.
Commonly confused: misdirect or misinterpret?
misdirect vs misinterpret
Means to understand something wrongly, not to send or guide wrongly.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'misdirect' correctly.
Choose one answer.
Option 1 correctly uses 'misdirect' with an object ('his anger') and the pattern 'misdirect something at someone'. Option 0 is wrong because 'misdirect' needs an object. Option 2 is wrong because 'misdirect' does not mean to reschedule. Option 3 is wrong because 'misdirect' is not used with 'about' in that way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “misdirect”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.