mishandle

mis·han·dle | \ (ˌ)mis-ˈhan-dᵊl

How to pronounce mishandle (audio)

\

mishandled; mishandling; mishandles

Definition of mishandle

transitive verb

1 : to treat roughly : maltreat

2 : to deal with or manage wrongly or ignorantly

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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 Under the settlement announced Thursday, the Chicago school system agreed to give those who believe their complaints were mishandled the chance for a second, independent review. — Washington Post, "Chicago schools’ handling of sexual violence ‘inexcusable,’ Education Department finds," 12 Sep. 2019 But evidence has shown that information has been mishandled. — Brian Penick, Billboard, "Five Music Tech Investment Areas You Need to Know (Guest Column)," 5 Sep. 2019 The lawsuit came only a few days after the other couple in New York, identified only as A.P. and Y.Z. in court filings, filed a separate lawsuit against CHA, alleging that their own embryos also were mishandled during the mix-up. — Giulia Mcdonnell Nieto Del Rio, latimes.com, "Couple says their embryo was implanted into wrong woman. They had to fight to get their son," 11 July 2019 In the case of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, the tech platform could face a fine of $40,000 for each of the 87 million users whose data was mishandled – adding up to several trillion dollars. — Christopher Carbone, Fox News, "EXCLUSIVE: Facebook must be broken up and face strict privacy controls, coalition urges FTC," 15 Aug. 2018 And cases will carry temperature sensors so that customers can be sure they have not been mishandled in transportation. — Eric Asimov, New York Times, "On His Own, the Burgundy Iconoclast Laurent Ponsot Looks to Big Projects," 12 Apr. 2018 After that game, UO coach Mario Cristobal was roasted for mishandling the clock, a macho-or-bust offensive philosophy and for apparently misunderstanding the NCAA rules regarding player re-entry. — oregonlive, "Goe: The Oregon Ducks leave no question while pounding overmatched Nevada," 8 Sep. 2019 Four other county social workers accused of mishandling abuse allegations in Gabriel’s case are scheduled to go to trial on charges of felony child abuse and falsifying records. — Los Angeles Times, "The horrific death of Anthony Avalos and the many missed chances to save him," 4 Sep. 2019 Robin des Bois is the environmentalist group behind the lawsuit alleging health agencies and government officials mishandled the situation. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Notre-Dame Restoration Delayed Due to Lead Poisoning Concerns," 13 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mishandle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near mishandle

Statistics for mishandle

Last Updated

9 Oct 2019

Time Traveler for mishandle

The first known use of mishandle was in 1530

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concealed or difficult to comprehend

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