mistime

USAGE SUMMARY

"mistime" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when referring to an action that is done at the wrong time. Example: "He seemed to mistime his jump and fell short." Alternative expressions include "miscalculate timing" and "time incorrectly."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Sport

Lifestyle

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

10 human-written examples

It's a highwire act – if the hole's too big or in the wrong place, if light leaks in from elsewhere in your box or you mistime your exposure, you run the risk of ending up with a bunch of images that look like disused prototypes for terrible album covers from the 90s.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

"You know if you make a late tackle, or mistime it: you think, 'I hope I'm lucky there'.

Independent

I even asked the manager this season: 'If I mistime a tackle are they going to say I did it deliberately?' From the day after I signed, the players gave the typical football banter, saying: 'I hope we're not going to be leaving training in a police car today,' and such things.

The Guardian - Sport

If you mistime it you are in for a gruelling walk through some of the steepest streets in the city.

The Guardian - Travel

They're going for the big shots and taking singles when they mistime it or fail to pierce the sweepers at cover and midwicket.

The Guardian - Sport

But Lumb is there on boundary, and rises to his right to take a tricky but regulation catch, only to totally mistime his leap and parry the ball for six.

The Guardian - Sport

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

50 human-written examples

All the good work of the right will be undone, simply because they massively mistimed their attacks.

The Guardian

PSG almost took the lead when the Monaco defender Fabinho mistimed a headed clearance following a PSG corner and the ball almost sailed into the opposite corner.

The Guardian - Sport

We'd mistimed feeds, and found ourselves with the option of walking a mile home with a hungry baby going off like a siren inside his pram, or ducking into the most secluded corner of the nearest coffee shop and letting my wife feed him while I stood in front of them holding up her coat like some sort of panicky Poundland matador.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Ecuador pulled one back through Fidel Martínez in the 57th minute, before Langerak spectacularly mistimed a challenge on Enner Valencia seconds later to concede a penalty.

The Guardian - Sport

In one gloriously mistimed editorial, written just ahead and in ignorance of the raid on Abbottabad, Bill Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, mocked Mr Obama for "leading from behind".

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "mistime", ensure the context clearly indicates what action or event was poorly timed. For instance, specify what was mistimed, such as a jump, a tackle, or a business decision.

Common error

Avoid using "mistime" without specifying what action was mistimed. Without proper context, the sentence can be ambiguous and leave the reader wondering what exactly went wrong.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "mistime" is as a verb, indicating an action performed at an unsuitable or incorrect time. This is supported by Ludwig, as shown in the examples where "mistime" describes actions like tackles, jumps, or even strategic decisions that went awry.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Sport

30%

Lifestyle

10%

Less common in

Tech

10%

Travel

5%

Formal & Business

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "mistime" is a verb used to describe the act of doing something at an inappropriate time, often resulting in failure or negative consequences. As Ludwig AI indicates, the usage of "mistime" is grammatically correct. While the frequency is uncommon, it's versatile and applicable in a range of contexts, particularly in news, sports, and lifestyle content. Ensure clarity by specifying what action was mistimed, and consider alternatives like "misjudge the timing" or "time poorly" for stylistic variation.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

misjudge the timing

Focuses on the incorrect assessment of when an action should occur.

get the timing wrong

Emphasizes the incorrect execution of an action's timing.

time poorly

Highlights the lack of skill in timing an event or action.

miscalculate the moment

Emphasizes the miscalculation of a specific point in time.

be off-time

Describes the state of being out of sync with the intended timing.

mis-sequence

Highlights the improper ordering of events in time.

delay inappropriately

Focuses on acting later than is suitable.

be premature

Describes something occurring too early.

err in timing

Emphasizes making an error related to temporal execution.

be asynchronous

Highlights the lack of synchronization between events.

FAQs

How can I use "mistime" in a sentence?

You can use "mistime" to describe doing something at the wrong time, such as "He "mistimed the jump"" or "They "mistimed their attack"".

What does it mean to "mistime" something?

To "mistime" something means to do it at an inappropriate or incorrect time, often leading to a negative outcome. It implies a failure to coordinate actions with the correct timing.

What can I say instead of "mistime"?

You can use alternatives like "misjudge the timing", "time poorly", or "get the timing wrong" depending on the specific context.

Is "mistime" a formal or informal word?

"Mistime" is generally considered a neutral word suitable for both formal and informal contexts. Its appropriateness depends more on the surrounding language and the specific situation.