malpractice
noun
mal·prac·tice
ˌmal-ˈprak-təs 
1
: a dereliction of professional duty or a failure to exercise an ordinary degree of professional skill or learning by one (such as a physician) rendering professional services which results in injury, loss, or damage
2
: an injurious, negligent, or improper practice : malfeasance
Examples of malpractice in a Sentence
a surgeon accused of malpractice
Doctors need to have malpractice insurance to protect themselves against lawsuits.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would amend a 2023 law that allows malpractice claims regarding gender-affirming care provided to minors to be filed up to 15 years after the minor turns 18 years old.
—
Michael R. Wickline, Arkansas Online, 16 Apr. 2025
Kevin McMahon, 64, filed a lawsuit against Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens, N.Y., in 2021, on a claim of medical malpractice for allegedly switching him at birth with Ross McMahon on May 26, 1960.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Clearly the request — which must have originated in City Hall — uses the fires as a smokescreen to rationalize a bailout for a deficit that is fundamentally the result of years-long fiscal malpractice.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Seven years later, Walton handled a case involving the NCAA, which had been named as a defendant in a medical malpractice litigation filed by former American University field hockey player Jennifer Bradley.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malpractice
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Michael R. Wickline, Arkansas Online, 16 Apr. 2025
Kevin McMahon, 64, filed a lawsuit against Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens, N.Y., in 2021, on a claim of medical malpractice for allegedly switching him at birth with Ross McMahon on May 26, 1960.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Clearly the request — which must have originated in City Hall — uses the fires as a smokescreen to rationalize a bailout for a deficit that is fundamentally the result of years-long fiscal malpractice.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Seven years later, Walton handled a case involving the NCAA, which had been named as a defendant in a medical malpractice litigation filed by former American University field hockey player Jennifer Bradley.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malpractice
Cite this Entry
“Malpractice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malpractice. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
malpractice
noun
mal·prac·tice
(ˈ)mal-ˈprak-təs
: violation of professional standards especially by carelessness or improper conduct
Medical Definition
malpractice
1 of 2 noun
mal·prac·tice
(ˈ)mal-ˈprak-təs
: a dereliction of professional duty or a failure to exercise an accepted degree of professional skill or learning by a physician rendering professional services which results in injury, loss, or damage
malpractice
2 of 2 intransitive verb
malpracticed; malpracticing
: to engage in or commit malpractice
Legal Definition
malpractice
noun
mal·prac·tice
ˌmal-ˈprak-təs
: negligence, misconduct, lack of ordinary skill, or a breach of duty in the performance of a professional service (as in medicine) resulting in injury or loss
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