misallocate
verb
mis·al·lo·cate
ˌmis-ˈa-lə-ˌkāt 
misallocated; misallocating
: 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
Justin FoxExamples of misallocate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But in many cases, developing an outsize fear of a rival has led the United States to misallocate government resources, lose sight of the need to nurture its own sources of strength, become distracted by peripheral threats, or even become mired in unnecessary wars.
—Jude Blanchette, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
The authors of that USC paper acknowledged that rent control is a blunt tool that can misallocate capital in housing.
—Star Tribune, 3 July 2021
Industrial policy of this sort would misallocate capital in a way that would slow the economy’s transition to a post-virus new normal.
—Glenn Hubbard, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2020
Without collaboration, companies may fail to fully consider partner capabilities and incentives in investments and so may misallocate resources.
—Daniel Pellathy and Ted Stank, WSJ, 9 July 2020
This will drastically misallocate necessary funding for services such as public health and education, harming those most vulnerable.
—Adam Eichen, The New Republic, 27 June 2019
LaMore, who was executive director of the organization, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah A.L. Merriam to conspiring to misallocate federal funds to pay his salary and to inflating invoices to obtain additional cash for himself.
—David Owens, courant.com, 16 Mar. 2018
This is not a place that can afford to misallocate hundreds of millions of dollars in educational funds.
—Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, 1 Mar. 2018
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Jude Blanchette, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
The authors of that USC paper acknowledged that rent control is a blunt tool that can misallocate capital in housing.
—Star Tribune, 3 July 2021
Industrial policy of this sort would misallocate capital in a way that would slow the economy’s transition to a post-virus new normal.
—Glenn Hubbard, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2020
Without collaboration, companies may fail to fully consider partner capabilities and incentives in investments and so may misallocate resources.
—Daniel Pellathy and Ted Stank, WSJ, 9 July 2020
This will drastically misallocate necessary funding for services such as public health and education, harming those most vulnerable.
—Adam Eichen, The New Republic, 27 June 2019
LaMore, who was executive director of the organization, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah A.L. Merriam to conspiring to misallocate federal funds to pay his salary and to inflating invoices to obtain additional cash for himself.
—David Owens, courant.com, 16 Mar. 2018
This is not a place that can afford to misallocate hundreds of millions of dollars in educational funds.
—Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, 1 Mar. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Misallocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misallocate. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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