misapply

verb

mis·​ap·​ply ˌmis-ə-ˈplī How to pronounce misapply (audio)
misapplied; misapplying

transitive verb

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
2
: to use or spend (something, such as public money) without proper authority
He also was convicted of misapplying government funds.Suzanne Russell

Examples of misapply in a Sentence

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

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misapply.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of misapply was in 1571

Dictionary Entries Near misapply

Cite this Entry

“Misapply.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misapply. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

misapply

verb
mis·​ap·​ply
ˌmis-ə-ˈplī
: to apply wrongly
misapplication
ˌmis-ˌap-lə-ˈkā-shən
noun

Legal Definition

misapply

transitive verb
mis·​ap·​ply
ˌmi-sə-ˈplī
misapplied; misapplying
: to misuse or spend (as public money) without proper authority
specifically : to willfully and unlawfully convert (bank funds) for the use, benefit, or gain of oneself or a third party especially through one's position as a bank employee or officer
misapplication
ˌmi-ˌsa-plə-ˈkā-shən
noun
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