mishandle

verb

(ˌ)mis-ˈhan-dᵊl How to pronounce mishandle (audio)
Definition of mishandlenext
1
as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon having been shuffled from foster home to foster home, the orphaned girl felt she had been mishandled by an uncaring society

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to manhandle
to abuse physically adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to mismanage
to manage badly we took over as soon as we realized that the fill-in had been mishandling the situation

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 mishandle The heat wave has gone down in history as being grossly mishandled by the city. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 1 July 2026 The two sides publicly savaged each other, with dueling allegations of mishandling forensic evidence, among other things. — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026 Garcia Martinez, who says his mother is in removal proceedings because Lozano mishandled her case, lives every day in fear that she will be deported. — ABC News, 29 June 2026 In late 2022, Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster faced widespread backlash after mishandling ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s 2022 ‘Eras’ tour. — Sydney Goh, CNBC, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandle
  1. abuse
  2. manhandle
  3. mismanage
  4. mistreat
  5. maul
  6. misconduct
  7. bully
  8. attack
Verb
  • Reports that federal immigration enforcement agencies have accessed Flock data, dozens of officers have abused the system to stalk women, and police have logged hundreds of searches related to protest activity sparked successive waves of backlash.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Instead, the Children's Trust was used and abused by the Kittrells for exclusively their own purposes and in fact the Kittrells treat the trust assets for nearly all purposes as their own.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of abuse
Verb
  • His hands and ability to manhandle blockers made him among the best defensive players in the West Valley League.
    — Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 31 July 2026
  • During this stretch, the Colts will face three AFC opponents, including the Steelers, who manhandled them last year and forced Jones to commit a career-high five turnovers in a loss.
    — James Boyd, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Definition of manhandle
Verb
  • Founders often mismanage their crucial first sales hire, mistakenly seeking candidates suited for large corporations.
    — Kate Morgan, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Target has been criticized for mismanaging inventory, under-investing in stores and falling behind on the trendy, eye-catching merchandise the retailer built its name on.
    — Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 22 June 2026
Definition of mismanage
Verb
  • The lawsuit isn’t the first to accuse Ye of mistreating a fellow musician.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2026
  • In their July 30 letter, lawmakers noted that there have been at least 15 incidents since 2023 involving staff physically mistreating children at the Morgantown facility, as documented by Pennsylvania state inspectors.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of mistreat
Verb
  • Gunther slowed the match down, mauling Aldis and sending him flying into the corner.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The two dogs chased the emu, named Barb, down Ravine Street on July 21 and mauled the 160-pound, 6-foot-tall animal to death.
    — Jennifer Borrasso, CBS News, 30 July 2026
Definition of maul
Verb
  • In addition, referees were instructed to apply the rules regarding fouls and misconducts more strictly – a move meant to protect players and their inventiveness.
    — Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
Definition of misconduct
Verb
  • His distance from Henry was painfully emphasized when his son got in trouble for bullying another classmate, and the idea of Michelle (Andrea Anders) getting engaged to someone else sent him into a tailspin.
    — Rachel LaBonte, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Aug. 2026
  • As Southampton’s Cyle Larin showed in April’s 5-1 thrashing, the defence is susceptible to being bullied physically at times.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of bully
Verb
  • That strike came after Kuwait said Iran attacked one of its water facilities.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The chain of events that led to another extermination began when Lauren Cohan’s Maggie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan captured their season 2 nemesis, the Dama (Lisa Emery), after the big bad had her men attack them.
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of attack

Browse Nearby Words

misguiding
mishandle
mishandled
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Cite this Entry

“Mishandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandle. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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