misspend
verb
mis·spend
ˌmis-ˈspend 
misspent
ˌmis-ˈspent
; misspending
; misspending
: to spend wrongly : squander
a misspent life
Synonyms
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
Email address: Few states have a better view into the latest ways people are stealing and otherwise misspending local government dollars than Washington.
—
Mckenzie Funk, ProPublica, 14 June 2024
To sanction such states, Brussels instead needs to demonstrate that EU funds are being misspent.
—Yascha Mounk, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021
Critics say Proposition 28 arts funding is being misspent.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024
Often, House Republicans have blasted the president for misspending coronavirus relief money, even though federal investigators have found the worst abuses occurred during the Trump administration.
—Tony Romm, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for misspend 
Mckenzie Funk, ProPublica, 14 June 2024
To sanction such states, Brussels instead needs to demonstrate that EU funds are being misspent.
—Yascha Mounk, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021
Critics say Proposition 28 arts funding is being misspent.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024
Often, House Republicans have blasted the president for misspending coronavirus relief money, even though federal investigators have found the worst abuses occurred during the Trump administration.
—Tony Romm, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for misspend
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misspend.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near misspend
Cite this Entry
“Misspend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misspend. Accessed 30 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
misspend
verb
mis·spend
(ˈ)mis-ˈspend
misspent
-ˈspent
; misspending
; misspending
: waste entry 2 sense 3, squander
a misspent youth
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