misspend

verb

mis·​spend ˌmis-ˈspend 

misspent ˌmis-ˈspent  ; misspending

transitive verb

: to spend wrongly : squander

a misspent life

Synonyms

• blow
• dissipate
• fiddle away
• fritter (away)
• lavish
• lose
• run through
• spend
• squander
• throw away
• trifle (away)
• waste

Examples of misspend in a Sentence

Several government officials have been accused of misspending public money.

warned that a childhood spent hanging around indoors was a misspent youth indeed

Recent Examples on the Web

But then oil prices dropped and Chávez died, followed by Castro, and the money that had flooded into Cuba to fund Revolution 2.0 was gone, largely misspent and stolen. —Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2024

In February, he was found liable for misspending $5.4 million of the group's money by a New York jury. —Hans Nichols, Axios, 3 Sep. 2024

Whiting is accused of misspending to bolster his and his wife's campaigns. —Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic, 12 Aug. 2024

Worthy allegedly stole and misspent SF SAFE funds for years and used them for personal expenses and lavish events. —Jackson Walker, Baltimore Sun, 1 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

misspend

verb

mis·​spend (ˈ)mis-ˈspend 

misspent -ˈspent  ; misspending

: waste entry 2 sense 3, squander

a misspent youth