squander

1 of 2

verb

squan·​der ˈskwän-dər 

squandered; squandering ˈskwän-d(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to spend extravagantly or foolishly : dissipate, waste

squandered a fortune

2

: to cause to disperse : scatter

3

: to lose (something, such as an advantage or opportunity) through negligence or inaction

intransitive verb

: disperse, scatter

squanderer

ˈskwän-dər-ər 

noun

squander

2 of 2

noun

: an act of squandering

Synonyms

Verb

• blow
• dissipate
• fiddle away
• fritter (away)
• lavish
• lose
• misspend
• run through
• spend
• throw away
• trifle (away)
• waste

Examples of squander in a Sentence

Verb

He vowed not to squander this opportunity.

squandered all her money gambling in casinos

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Part of what’s being squandered is trust, which is vital for getting people off the streets. —Angela Hart, CNN, 11 Sep. 2024

For more than two decades, management teams preoccupied with the bottom line but seemingly unaware that the bottom line depends on turning out a product that customers value squandered that reputation. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024

Noun

But families affected by addiction, recovery advocates, and legal and public health experts say doing so squanders a rare opportunity to direct additional resources toward saving lives. —Aneri Pattani, USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2024

The worse sin is the way the movie squanders scenes that should be transcendently ecstatic or transcendently silly. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb

1536, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1709, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

squander

verb

squan·​der

ˈskwän-dər

squandered; squandering

-d(ə-)riŋ

: to spend foolishly or wastefully

squandered all her money on video games

squanderer

-dər-ər

noun