misapply
verb
mis·ap·ply
ˌmis-ə-ˈplī 
misapplied; misapplying
1
: to apply incorrectly or improperly
They recognized deer, bears, and wolves and misapplied European names to buffalo and robins, but strange animals, plants, geography, and weather needed new words.—
Jack Weatherford
Jack Weatherford2
: to use or spend (something, such as public money) without proper authority
He also was convicted of misapplying government funds.—Suzanne Russell
Suzanne Russell
Examples of misapply in a Sentence
you've misapplied the theorem to certain problems that require a different formula
kids who misapply their boundless energy and get into trouble
Recent Examples on the Web
Our biased admiration for good fathers is misapplied to a species, such as the bald eagle, in which biparental care is the rule.
—Time, 17 June 2023
First, if a bull market means to you that stocks are trending unequivocally upward, then, no, the bull market label is being misapplied right now.
—Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 16 June 2023
Democrats in Tallahassee say the program isn’t just bad policy, it was misapplied to move migrants from Texas.
—Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, 7 June 2023
O'Shea said the study's findings have often been misinterpreted or misapplied since its publication.
—Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 2 June 2023
Ioniţă still has both qualities in equal measure, but they were sorely misapplied in his performance of Dvořák’s cello concerto.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2023
But laser projectors are still vulnerable to errors of neglect — i.e., dead bugs and misapplied 3-D lenses — and can introduce problems of their own, including a tendency toward green and magenta highlights.
—Lane Brown, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Time, 17 June 2023
First, if a bull market means to you that stocks are trending unequivocally upward, then, no, the bull market label is being misapplied right now.
—Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 16 June 2023
Democrats in Tallahassee say the program isn’t just bad policy, it was misapplied to move migrants from Texas.
—Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, 7 June 2023
O'Shea said the study's findings have often been misinterpreted or misapplied since its publication.
—Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 2 June 2023
Ioniţă still has both qualities in equal measure, but they were sorely misapplied in his performance of Dvořák’s cello concerto.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2023
But laser projectors are still vulnerable to errors of neglect — i.e., dead bugs and misapplied 3-D lenses — and can introduce problems of their own, including a tendency toward green and magenta highlights.
—Lane Brown, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near misapply
Cite this Entry
“Misapply.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misapply. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share