as in spending
to use up carelessly
warned that a childhood spent hanging around indoors was a misspent youth indeed
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Recent Examples of misspending
Another is the surprising fact that no Florida law specifically prohibits public officials from misspending public funds on political advertising.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
There are literally a million better ways to stop food waste than partnering with a family that has been convicted of felonies for misspending nonprofit money.
—Emily Barnes, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
There are literally a million better ways to stop food waste than partnering with a family that has been convicted of felonies for misspending nonprofit money.
—Emily Barnes, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misspending
Verb
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In both cases, spending by campaign staff may also count toward those totals.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Economists had believed that an unusually large jump in tax refunds would kick start spending at the start of the year.—
Anne D'Innocenzio,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Freshman Keaton Wagler had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the Illini (28-9), who reached their first Final Four since losing the championship game to North Carolina in 2005.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
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Vásquez didn’t factor in the decision after a defensive miscue led to the bullpen briefly losing the lead, but the emerging starting pitcher danced in and out of trouble in keeping the Red Sox at bay on an evening in which the wind chill dropped the temperature into the high 20s.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misspending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misspending. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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