miscalculate

present singular third person miscalculates · participle present miscalculating · participle past miscalculated · past miscalculated

1. intransitivetransitiveTo calculate incorrectly.

   They miscalculated by assuming the dimensions were in imperial, not metric.

2. intransitivetransitiveTo make a gross error in judgment.

   In the end, one could say with minimal originality, but considerable accuracy, that Bill Simmons simply flew too close to the sun. He miscalculated how much value ESPN put on him and on his unique abilities and talents.

   2015 May 9, James Andrew Miller, “Inside the Shocking, Abrupt Divorce of Bill Simmons and ESPN”, in Vanity Fair, archived from the original on 19 Feb 2016

   3 more examples

   Hitler and the Japanese generals miscalculated badly, 10 years ago, when they thought we would not be able to use our economic power effectively for the defeat of aggression. Let would-be aggressors make no such mistake today.

   1950 September 1, Harry S. Truman, 2:37 from the start, in MP72-73 Korea and World Peace: President Truman Reports to the People, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives Identifier: 595162

   Obsessed only with cost, 'Sir Humphrey' saw that Transport for London 'got away' with ticket office closures on the Tube with only minor public pushback and miscalculated that it could do the same on the national network. This assumption backfired spectacularly.

   2023 August 9, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Disinterested and dishonest”, in RAIL, number 989, page 3

   This report examines the voluminous evidence bolstering these conclusions. We document the many ways in which the Harris campaign and Democratic Party leadership failed to meet the moment and gravely miscalculated both what and who the election hinged on.

   2025, Christopher D. Cook, “Autopsy: How Democrats Lost the White House”, in RootsAction, archived from the original on 21 Feb 2026, page 4