as in to spend
to use up carelessly
warned that a childhood spent hanging around indoors was a misspent youth indeed
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Recent Examples of misspend
An audit report released in October found that a manager with Austin Water misspent $78,000 to pay contractors for unauthorized services.
—
Chaya Tong, Austin American Statesman, 15 Jan. 2026
Remember when Massachusetts misspent about $2.5 billion in CARES Act funds (under former Gov. Charlie Baker)?
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 8 Dec. 2025
Oz said in his X post that California had misspent $1.3 billion on care for people not eligible for Medicaid, while Illinois spent $30 million, Oregon $5.4 million, Washington state $2.4 million, Washington, D.C., $2.1 million, and Colorado $1.5 million.
—Kff Health News, Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2025
There are literally a million better ways to stop food waste than partnering with a family that has been convicted of felonies for misspending nonprofit money.
—Emily Barnes, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misspend
Chaya Tong, Austin American Statesman, 15 Jan. 2026
Remember when Massachusetts misspent about $2.5 billion in CARES Act funds (under former Gov. Charlie Baker)?
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 8 Dec. 2025
Oz said in his X post that California had misspent $1.3 billion on care for people not eligible for Medicaid, while Illinois spent $30 million, Oregon $5.4 million, Washington state $2.4 million, Washington, D.C., $2.1 million, and Colorado $1.5 million.
—Kff Health News, Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2025
There are literally a million better ways to stop food waste than partnering with a family that has been convicted of felonies for misspending nonprofit money.
—Emily Barnes, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misspend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misspend
Verb
-
The Stars spent a majority of time on defense but played with more attacking confidence in the second half.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The uncomfortable truth — considering the amount of blood and treasure spent — is that military solutions on their own rarely succeed.—
Obi Anyadike,
semafor.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Pop Mart shares have lost some momentum after their extended run-up, retreating about 50% from their August peak.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
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The Knicks have feasted on a soft part of their schedule, beating Indiana twice, Utah, Brooklyn and Washington during the winning streak, which came entirely against teams with losing records.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misspend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misspend. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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