How to Use by mistake in a Sentence

by mistake

idiom
Definition of by mistakenext
  • The missile can’t be fired in the heat of the moment or by mistake, the court said.
    — Isabel Coles, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2022
  • One of his friends had gone to Mission Navy Yard by mistake.
    — Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2022
  • That fear drove the 84-year-old to shoot the teenager, Ralph Yarl, who had rang Lester’s doorbell by mistake.
    — Claretta Bellamy, NBC News, 20 Apr. 2023
  • These claimants are not accused of fraud, but rather were given too much money by mistake, through no fault of their own.
    — Globe Columnist, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Mar. 2023
  • Yarl’s family said the teenager was picking up his younger siblings and went to the wrong house by mistake.
    — Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2023
  • In case of any errors during setup, make sure your kit comes with plugsto stop up holes made by mistake.
    — Laura Duerr, Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2023
  • In each incident, someone came to the home or vehicle of a stranger by mistake.
    — Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2023
  • Even Leo now assumes that his dad shot him not by mistake, but to stop Leo from telling anyone that his house was paid for with drug money by Gene.
    — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 May 2023
  • Powell first thought the homely wooden figurines – a man and a woman – were put in his mailbox by mistake.
    — Laura Colvin, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2023
  • Three of the hostages are known to have been shot by Israel’s military by mistake, and many more are thought to have been killed by Israel’s own bombardments.
    — Matt Bradley, NBC News, 4 Feb. 2024
  • Phillips had shot Dolce by mistake, according to the affidavit, while aiming for the driver.
    — John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Jan. 2024
  • Switch on the air exchanger in the ripening room by mistake so that more oxygen flows around the cheese and suddenly molds will sprout that haven’t been there before.
    — Ute Eberle, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Nov. 2022
  • Just as easily, Fields could slip up about her son, either by mistake or as a benefit to her own game.
    — Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 3 Aug. 2023
  • Some of those who are being asked to return were laid off by mistake, according to two people familiar with the moves.
    — Kurt Wagner, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2022
  • The supporting actress mix-up was edited out of the BBC broadcast so people at home didn’t see Carey’s name being read by mistake.
    — Manori Ravindran, Variety, 20 Feb. 2023
  • Tara is also on a personal quest to find a cure to save her grandfather, who has turned himself into a dog by mistake.
    — John Bleasdale, Variety, 12 June 2023
  • Members of a Red Oak, Iowa, family were able to escape their burning home after a driver, who’d wound up on their street by mistake, saw the flames and rushed to wake them up.
    — David Williams, CNN, 31 Oct. 2022
  • Musk laid off about half of them barely a week later, but the company asked back dozens who apparently were laid off by mistake.
    — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 18 Nov. 2022
  • In this setup, a bad actor sends money to a person’s account then contacts them asking the funds be returned because they were sent by mistake.
    — Emily Mason, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2022
  • Pritz said the campaign used the wrong logo on the flyer by mistake, but had used the correct logo on its website and other communications.
    — Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Last year, another man who was released by mistake from a Los Angeles jail was free for around three weeks before he was recaptured.
    — NBC News, 8 Apr. 2022
  • Fortunately, Phil’s room is built like his home and the only danger of water getting on the new LVP flooring is from a window left open by mistake during a rainstorm.
    — Tim Carter, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2023
  • The advance notice apparently came from a news release sent out early by mistake.
    — David Keyton, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2023
  • That way, no one will accidentally grab someone else's by mistake.
    — Jessica Cherner, House Beautiful, 25 Jan. 2023
  • There was just one problem: The acceptance letters were sent by mistake, according to the university.
    — Zoe Sottile, CNN, 8 Oct. 2022
  • Google’s apparent refusal to change the results came after the protest song was played by mistake at a number of international sporting events.
    — Kari Soo Lindberg, Bloomberg.com, 7 June 2023
  • Google’s apparent refusal to change the results came after the protest song was played by mistake at a number of international sporting events.
    — Kari Soo Lindberg, Bloomberg.com, 7 June 2023
  • Arlington High School was placed on lockdown by mistake, but the school still followed lockdown protocols, which include clearing the campus room-by-room.
    — Dallas News, 19 Aug. 2022
  • Realizing employees essential for the continuity of the business have been let go by mistake, some are asked to come back.
    — Martine Paris, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Nov. 2022
  • Not leaving a baby behind by mistake is one of the things future regulators are going to insist upon.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 7 June 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'by mistake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: