2 N‑COUNT A mistrial is a legal trial which ends without a verdict, for example because the jury cannot agree on one. [AM ] □ The judge said he would declare a mistrial if the jury did not reach its verdict today.
mis|trust /m I strʌ st/ (mistrusts , mistrusting , mistrusted )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Mistrust is the feeling that you have towards someone who you do not trust. □ There was mutual mistrust between the two men. □ [+ of ] …a deep mistrust of state banks.
2 VERB If you mistrust someone or something, you do not trust them. □ [V n] It frequently appears that Bell mistrusts all journalists.
mis|trust|ful /m I strʌ stfʊl/ ADJ If you are mistrustful of someone, you do not trust them. □ [+ of ] He had always been mistrustful of women.
misty /m I sti/ ADJ On a misty day, there is a lot of mist in the air. □ The air was cold and misty.
mi sty-eyed ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you say that something makes you misty-eyed , you mean that it makes you feel so happy or sentimental, especially about the past, that you feel as if you are going to cry. □ They got misty-eyed listening to records of Ruby Murray singing 'Danny Boy'.
mis|under|stand /m I sʌndə r stæ nd/ (misunderstands , misunderstanding , misunderstood )
1 VERB If you misunderstand someone or something, you do not understand them properly. □ [V wh] They have simply misunderstood what rock and roll is. □ [V n] Maybe I misunderstood you.
2 → see also misunderstood
3 CONVENTION You can say don't misunderstand me when you want to correct a wrong impression that you think someone may have got about what you are saying. □ I'm not saying what he did was good, don't misunderstand me.
mis|under|stand|ing /m I sʌndə r stæ nd I ŋ/ (misunderstandings )
1 N‑VAR A misunderstanding is a failure to understand something properly, for example a situation or a person's remarks. □ Tell your midwife what you want so she can make a note of it and avoid misunderstandings.
2 N‑COUNT You can refer to a disagreement or slight quarrel as a misunderstanding . [FORMAL ] □ [+ with ] …a little misunderstanding with the police.
mis|under|stood /m I sʌndə r stʊ d/
1 Misunderstood is the past tense and past participle of misunderstand .
2 ADJ If you describe someone or something as misunderstood , you mean that people do not understand them and have a wrong impression or idea of them. □ Eric is very badly misunderstood. □ The cost of capital is widely misunderstood.
mis|use (misuses , misusing , misused ) The noun is pronounced /m I sjuː s/. The verb is pronounced /m I sjuː z/. 1 N‑VAR The misuse of something is incorrect, careless, or dishonest use of it. □ [+ of ] …the misuse of power and privilege. □ The effectiveness of this class of drug has, however, led to their misuse.
2 VERB If someone misuses something, they use it incorrectly, carelessly, or dishonestly. □ [V n] You are protected instantly if a thief misuses your credit card.
mite /ma I t/ (mites )
1 PHRASE A mite means to a small extent or degree. It is sometimes used to make a statement less extreme. □ I can't help feeling just a mite uneasy about it.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Mites are very tiny creatures that live on plants, for example, or in animals' fur. □ …an itching skin disorder caused by parasitic mites.
miti|gate /m I t I ge I t/ (mitigates , mitigating , mitigated ) VERB To mitigate something means to make it less unpleasant, serious, or painful. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] …ways of mitigating the effects of an explosion.
miti|gat|ing /m I t I ge I t I ŋ/ ADJ [ADJ n] Mitigating circumstances or factors make a bad action easier to understand and excuse, and may result in the person responsible being punished less severely. [LEGAL , FORMAL ] □ The judge found that in her case there were mitigating circumstances. □ There are various mitigating factors.
miti|ga|tion /m I t I ge I ʃ ə n/
1 PHRASE If someone, especially in a court, is told something in mitigation , they are told something that makes a crime or fault easier to understand and excuse. [FORMAL ] □ Kieran Coonan QC told the judge in mitigation that the offences had been at the lower end of the scale.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Mitigation is a reduction in the unpleasantness, seriousness, or painfulness of something. [FORMAL ] □ …the mitigation or cure of a physical or mental condition.
mitt /m I t/ (mitts )
1 N‑COUNT You can refer to a person's hands as their mitts . [INFORMAL ] □ I pressed a dime into his grubby mitt.
2 N‑COUNT A baseball mitt is a large glove worn by a player whose job involves catching the ball.
mit|ten /m I t ə n/ (mittens ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Mittens are gloves which have one section that covers your thumb and another section that covers your four fingers together.
mix ◆◆◇ /m I ks/ (mixes , mixing , mixed )
1 VERB If two substances mix or if you mix one substance with another, you stir or shake them together, or combine them in some other way, so that they become a single substance. □ [V ] Oil and water don't mix. □ [V + with ] It mixes easily with cold or hot water to make a tasty, filling drink. □ [V n] A quick stir will mix them thoroughly. □ [V n + with ] Mix the cinnamon with the rest of the sugar. □ [V n with adv] Mix the ingredients together slowly. ● mix|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ This final part of the mixing is done slowly and delicately.