wrong (wrongs plural & 3rd person present) (wronging present participle) (wronged past tense & past participle )
1 adj If you say there is something wrong, you mean there is something unsatisfactory about the situation, person, or thing you are talking about.
v-link ADJ, oft ADJ with n (Antonym: right)
Pain is the body's way of telling us that something is wrong..., Nobody seemed to notice anything wrong..., What's wrong with him?
2 adj If you choose the wrong thing, person, or method, you make a mistake and do not choose the one that you really want.
usu ADJ n (Antonym: right)
He went to the wrong house..., The wrong man had been punished..., Could you have given them the wrong drug by mistake?..., There is no right or wrong way to do these exercises.
Wrong is also an adverb., adv ADV after v (Antonym: right)
You've done it wrong..., I must have dialed wrong.
3 adj If something such as a decision, choice, or action is thewrong one, it is not the best or most suitable one.
ADJ n (Antonym: right)
I really made the wrong decision there..., The wrong choice of club might limit your chances of success..., We got married when I was 30 for all the wrong reasons.
4 adj If something is wrong, it is incorrect and not in accordance with the facts., (Antonym: right)
How do you know that this explanation is wrong?..., 20 per cent of the calculations are wrong., ...a clock which showed the wrong time..., Lots of people got the questions wrong.
Wrong is also an adverb., adv ADV after v
I must have added it up wrong, then..., It looks like it's spelled wrong..., I can see exactly where he went wrong.
wrongly adv ADV with v
A child was wrongly diagnosed as having a bone tumour..., Civilians assume, wrongly, that everything in the military runs smoothly.
5 adj If something is wrong or goes wrongwith a machine or piece of equipment, it stops working properly.
v-link ADJ, usu ADJ with n
We think there's something wrong with the computer..., Something must have gone wrong with the satellite link.
6 adj If you are wrong about something, what you say or think about it is not correct.
v-link ADJ, oft ADJ about n, ADJ in -ing, it v-link ADJ to-inf, ADJ to-inf (Antonym: right)
I was wrong about it being a casual meeting..., It would be wrong to assume that rich countries will always be able to insulate themselves with drugs against the ravages of new diseases..., I'm sure you've got it wrong. Kate isn't like that..., It's been very nice to prove them wrong.
7 adj If you think that someone was wrongto do something, you think that they should not have done it because it was bad or immoral.
ADJ to-inf (Antonym: right)
She was wrong to leave her child alone..., We don't consider we did anything wrong.
Wrong is also a noun., n-uncount
...a man who believes that he has done no wrong.
8 adj Wrong is used to refer to activities or actions that are considered to be morally bad and unacceptable.
v-link ADJ, oft it v-link ADJ to-inf/that
Is it wrong to try to save the life of someone you love?..., They thought slavery was morally wrong..., The only thing I consider wrong is when you hurt someone..., There is nothing wrong with journalists commenting on the attractiveness of artists.
Wrong is also a noun., n-uncount (Antonym: right)
Johnson didn't seem to be able to tell the difference between right and wrong.
9 n-count A wrong is an unfair or immoral action.
I intend to right that wrong..., The insurance company should not be held liable for the wrongs of one of its agents.
10 verb If someone wrongs you, they treat you in an unfair way.
You have wronged my mother... V n
She felt she'd been wronged... V n
Those who have wronged must be ready to say: `We have hurt you by this injustice.' V
11 adj You use wrong to describe something which is not thought to be socially acceptable or desirable.
ADJ n
If you went to the wrong school, you won't get the job...
12 If a situation goes wrong, it stops progressing in the way that you expected or intended, and becomes much worse.
go wrong phrase V inflects
It all went horribly wrong...
13 If someone who is involved in an argument or dispute has behaved in a way which is morally or legally wrong, you can say that they are in the wrong.
in the wrong phrase usu v-link PHR
He didn't press charges because he was in the wrong...
14 →
not far wrong →
far →
to get off on the wrong foot →
foot →
to get hold of the wrong end of the stick →
stick →
to be barking up the wrong tree →
tree
wrong-foot (wrong-foots 3rd person present) (wrong-footing present participle) (wrong-footed past tense & past participle ), wrong foot If you wrong-foot someone, you surprise them by putting them into an unexpected or difficult situation.
(mainly BRIT) verb
He has surprised his supporters and wrong-footed his opponents with his latest announcement. V n
wrong-headed
If you describe someone as wrong-headed, you mean that although they act in a determined way, their actions and ideas are based on wrong judgments. adj
