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
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.
—
Phil Galewitz, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
In a lengthy essay today, Gates argues that some climate aid funding is being misspent on projects that try to cut back on emissions but make no tangible improvement in peoples’ health or livelihoods.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 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
Auditors find $29 million at risk, among other issues
State auditors said the failure to properly monitor the activities of federal grant recipients increased the risk of misspending $29 million, or not spending the funds according to award terms, program requirements, and federal regulations.
—Sarah Lapidus, AZCentral.com, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misspend
Phil Galewitz, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
In a lengthy essay today, Gates argues that some climate aid funding is being misspent on projects that try to cut back on emissions but make no tangible improvement in peoples’ health or livelihoods.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 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
Auditors find $29 million at risk, among other issues
State auditors said the failure to properly monitor the activities of federal grant recipients increased the risk of misspending $29 million, or not spending the funds according to award terms, program requirements, and federal regulations.
—Sarah Lapidus, AZCentral.com, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misspend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misspend
Verb
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This has meant the show has spent more time with the very relatable Dunk and his precocious charge Egg.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
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Grohl said the band spent months discussing their next steps before making the decision.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Sage Hill appeared up to the task early but lost 86-54 after a blitz by Kaleena Smith and her up-tempo squad.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
25 Feb. 2026
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The competition to fill out the back end of the starting rotation has lost an entrant.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misspend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misspend. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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