misplace

verb

mis·​place ˌmis-ˈplās 

misplaced; misplacing; misplaces

transitive verb

1

a

: to put in a wrong or inappropriate place

misplace a comma

b

: mislay

misplaced the keys

2

: to set on a wrong object or eventuality

his trust had been misplaced

misplacement

ˌmis-ˈplās-mənt 

noun

Synonyms of misplace

• lose
• forget
• miss

Examples of misplace in a Sentence

I seem to have misplaced my keys.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, that hope was often misplaced. —David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2026

Senate Democrats are hinting at hearings on the Justice Department’s antitrust drama and, as Semafor’s Rohan Goswami scooped this morning, warning David Ellison not to misplace any communications between Paramount and the president. —Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 19 Feb. 2026

One standout moment shows the robot stepping down, briefly misplacing its foot, and then subtly repositioning it before continuing forward. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026

Any optimism the 2,000-point mark inspired also proved to be misplaced. —Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for misplace

• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• blackface
• boldface
• bookcase
• braincase
• briefcase
• carcase

Kids Definition

misplace

verb

mis·​place (ˈ)mis-ˈplās 

1

: to put in a wrong place

2

: mislay

misplacement noun