misallocate

verb

mis·​al·​lo·​cate ˌmis-ˈa-lə-ˌkāt 

misallocated; misallocating

transitive verb

: to allocate (something, such as money or resources) poorly or improperly

allegedly misallocated company funds

Top managers misallocate resources, overpay themselves, and ignore other, possibly better ways of motivating employees—all because giving out options is "free."

—Justin Fox

Examples of misallocate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

She also is separately accused of misallocating over $250,000. — Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 19 Feb. 2026

At this point, just about any investment in mass education is misallocated—misaligned with the way everyone learns today. — Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025

Complicating Kishida’s rule were several scandals, including one in which LDP members were found underreporting and misallocating money from fundraisers, and another involving his son hosting a private party at the official Prime Minister residence. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 8 Sep. 2025

Without careful planning, there’s a real risk of overestimating participation rates or misallocating resources. — Luis D’acosta, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for misallocate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate