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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Utilities are spending billions of dollars upgrading their aging infrastructure, while data centers are prompting a surge in demand for electricity.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
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Wagner Moura Basking in the sun outside The Times newsroom ahead of his digital cover shoot last month, Wagner Moura seemed exceptionally relaxed about spending his Tuesday afternoon in El Segundo with a bunch of journalists.—
Matt Brennan
Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Sewald came to the Diamondbacks from the Seattle Mariners in a trade deadline deal in 2023 and helped the D-backs make a surprise run to the Fall Classic before losing to the Texas Rangers in five games.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
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Businesses are losing foot traffic, changing their hours or closing entirely.—
Jeff Wagner,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misspending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misspending. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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