1
as in to spend
to use up carelessly
squandered all her money gambling in casinos
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to disperse
to cause (members of a group) to move widely apart
a single blast of the shotgun squandered the herd of deer
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of squander
Add to that equation the quieter but equally lethal presence of Adams, and there was real potential for this front three to engage in a battle of egos that ultimately squandered their chances at success.
—
Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
But the future really is more about what’s around Mahomes to avoid squandering any more of his transformative talent.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025
After beating the Utah Mammoth to start the five-game residency, the B’s lost to the Edmonton Oilers, squandered a winnable game in a shootout to the Vancouver Canucks and, on Sunday night, took a thorough beating at the hands of the Ottawa Senators, 6-2, at the Garden.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
Similarly, the administration's approach to Turkey and Saudi Arabia suggests a willingness to extend trust and strategic concessions that may exceed what these relationships warrant, potentially squandering leverage on critical issues like the Abraham Accords.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squander
Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
But the future really is more about what’s around Mahomes to avoid squandering any more of his transformative talent.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025
After beating the Utah Mammoth to start the five-game residency, the B’s lost to the Edmonton Oilers, squandered a winnable game in a shootout to the Vancouver Canucks and, on Sunday night, took a thorough beating at the hands of the Ottawa Senators, 6-2, at the Garden.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
Similarly, the administration's approach to Turkey and Saudi Arabia suggests a willingness to extend trust and strategic concessions that may exceed what these relationships warrant, potentially squandering leverage on critical issues like the Abraham Accords.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squander
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squander
Verb
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Joabe Barbosa, Matthew Plese and Omar Yousaf spent the day riding the entire MARTA rail system in an attempt to complete the full route in roughly three hours.—
Kaley Fedko,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Visitors can spend their entire trip switching off between the two, but be sure to take some time to explore the rocky cove beaches called calas that have made Costa Blanca famous.—
Liz Provencher,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The footage also shows a federal agent at one point using a portable speaker to order the group to disperse.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
15 Jan. 2026
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No matter where the passengers disperse, the train walls surround them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Indiana has lost more than 700 games in its history and now is one game away from a national title.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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To our minds, Wednesday's horror, those kids who lost a mother, should supplant the inevitable circling of the ideological wagons and the parsing of the different angles of pictures taken at the scene.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But waste diversion rates — the amount of garbage being recycled instead of dumped in landfills — remain stubbornly low.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
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So some of that fancy technology is going to waste.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squander. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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