Synonyms of squander

squander

verb

ˈskwän-dər 

1

as in to spend

to use up carelessly

squandered all her money gambling in casinos

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spend
• lose
• waste
• lavish
• misspend
• dissipate
• throw away
• run through
• blow
• trifle (away)
• fritter (away)
• consume
• deplete
• splurge
• expend
• fiddle away
• play ducks and drakes with
• impoverish
• indulge
• exhaust
• disburse
• overspend
• overindulge
• shoot
• lay out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• conserve
• preserve
• economize
• protect
• save
• skimp
• scrimp
• hoard
• lay up

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disperse
• scatter
• dispel
• dissipate
• disband
• isolate
• segregate
• disseminate
• clear out
• split (up)
• diffuse
• part
• separate
• diverge
• spread
• break up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• collect
• gather
• concentrate
• assemble
• congregate
• cluster
• conglomerate
• ingather
• unite
• unify
• agglutinate

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of squander

Bidding to clinch a wild-card berth, the Red Sox squandered a prime opportunity in the top of the ninth. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

The Guardians squandered a 4-2 lead but climbed to within one run entering the ninth. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Chargers squandered a golden chance to at least temporarily seize the spotlight from the Rams, falling 26-14 at home to the Arizona Cardinals in a game they were heavily favored to win. — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Advertisement America’s preoccupation with the war on terror did squander its unipolar decade. — Faisal Devji, Time, 11 Sep. 2026