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

In January, the FBI raided a Post reporter’s home, as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of mishandling sensitive national security information. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

That law provided a narrow path to freedom if Galloway could find crucial new evidence or prove that previous lawyers had mishandled the case. — Samantha Melamed, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026

Guardrails around Flock cameras have become a rare point of agreement for both Democrats and Republicans after a wave of reports of law enforcement officers mishandling the technology. — AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Last week, a Staten Island judge ruled the city mishandled the rollout by unfairly shifting the burden to thousands of homeowners to prove their basic residency and ordered officials to redo the process. — Christina Fan, CBS News, 6 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