mishandle

verb

mis·​han·​dle (ˌ)mis-ˈhan-dᵊl 

mishandled; mishandling; mishandles

transitive verb

1

: to treat roughly : maltreat

2

: to deal with or manage wrongly or ignorantly

Synonyms of mishandle

• abuse
• mistreat
• bully
• manhandle
• misuse

Examples of mishandle in a Sentence

The police mishandled the investigation.

Apples are easily bruised when they are mishandled.

The shortstop mishandled the throw.

The quarterback fumbled when he mishandled the snap.

Recent Examples on the Web

And if more eyes across the street from the polling station mean fewer mistakes and mishandling--in a nation in which ballot mistakes and mishandling are exceedingly rare already--then problems should be few. — Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026

Many Israelis blame Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for failing to prevent the attacks, while former hostages and their families have accused it of mishandling efforts to secure the hostages’ release. — Lia Lapidot Aaron Boxerman and Lia Lapidot, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2026

The postmortem report, which was conducted by an expert at the Zurich hospital, found that Rau had mishandled Ammann’s case from the start. — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

Republicans have long accused the FBI of mishandling the laptop and the investigations into the younger Biden. — Ryan Lucas, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mishandle

• candle
• handle
• sandal
• scandal
• vandal
• panhandle

Kids Definition

mishandle

verb

mis·​han·​dle (ˈ)mis-ˈhan-dᵊl 

1

: to treat roughly : maltreat

2

: to manage wrongly