as in to misuse
to put to a bad or improper use you've misapplied the theorem to certain problems that require a different formula kids who misapply their boundless energy and get into trouble

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of misapply Without adjusting, companies will misapply probabilistic tools to deterministic problems and misinterpret their outcomes. Richie Etwaru, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025 But sometimes people misapply the word tradition to things that are simply obsolete. Joe Rexrode, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024 Our biased admiration for good fathers is misapplied to a species, such as the bald eagle, in which biparental care is the rule. Time, 17 June 2023 First, if a bull market means to you that stocks are trending unequivocally upward, then, no, the bull market label is being misapplied right now. Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 16 June 2023 Democrats in Tallahassee say the program isn’t just bad policy, it was misapplied to move migrants from Texas. Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, 7 June 2023 O'Shea said the study's findings have often been misinterpreted or misapplied since its publication. Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 2 June 2023 Ioniţă still has both qualities in equal measure, but they were sorely misapplied in his performance of Dvořák’s cello concerto. Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2023 But laser projectors are still vulnerable to errors of neglect — i.e., dead bugs and misapplied 3-D lenses — and can introduce problems of their own, including a tendency toward green and magenta highlights. Lane Brown, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misapply
Verb
  • That low percentage suggests that detention center staff are misusing strip searches, said Dana Flores, senior manager for youth justice in Colorado at the National Center for Youth Law.
    Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 30 Sep. 2025
  • But all of these things are used as evidence — sometimes the sole evidence — that a person misused their benefits.
    Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • There were ugly scenes at the Bethpage golf course throughout yesterday’s second day of play as European players, McIlroy in particular, were routinely heckled and abused by rowdy fans, including while standing over shots.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025
  • The lawsuit further alleges that the airlines manipulated and abused the arrival rate system at DCA airport to force more arrivals per hour, despite knowing that doing so would reduce safety margins.
    Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Misapply.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misapply. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.

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