1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

misapplying

verb

present participle of misapply
as in misusing
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for misapplying
  1. misusing
  2. abusing
Verb
  • The charges represent an example of law enforcement officers allegedly misusing license plate camera readers for personal use -- a trend around the country.
    — Jack Date, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • As the Eastpointe City Council voted to terminate its contract with Flock cameras, officials say two police department employees were under investigation for allegedly misusing the technology.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of misusing
Verb
  • But a recent uptick in both national and Chicago area police abusing Flock cameras has heightened residents’ concerns about their privacy, security and whether the technology’s public safety benefits ultimately outweigh its risks.
    — Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Leo won't get a glimpse of the mosaics by an ex-Jesuit artist accused of abusing women adorning the façade of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of abusing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

misapply
misapplying
misapprehend
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Misapplying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misapplying. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fungible

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All