To misconstrue is to interpret something in the wrong way or to understand someone's actions or intentions differently than intended.
(verb)When your cute neighbor is staring at you because you have spinach in your teeth and you think he's looking because you have a cute new haircut, this is an example of a time when you misconstrue his attention.
See misconstrue in Webster's New World College Dictionary
transitive verb misconstrued, misconstruing
Related Forms:
See misconstrue in American Heritage Dictionary 4
transitive verb mis·con·strued, mis·con·stru·ing, mis·con·strues
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