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to misspend

to misspend

1 6.5
To spend time or money in a wasteful way
  • verb
  • /ˌmɪsˈspɛnd/
translation icon : malgastar
  • He was criticized for misspending taxpayer money on lavish parties rather than on community services.
  • misspend our money

And also maybe misspending your time is constantly doing do, do, do.

Examples

  • Moreover, they do so without going broke or misspending public dollars.

    Academic text (2002)
  • And also maybe misspending your time is constantly doing do, do, do.

  • As a result, they recognize that if they continue to waste and misspend money, they will continue to be rewarded with enough funds to pay bills.

    Blog text (5)
  • She regretted that she had chosen to misspend her savings on an expensive car instead of investing in her education.

  • The committee warned that they could not afford to misspend their budget on unnecessary projects.

Synonyms

to waste
vsto misspend
1.0

To use or spend something carelessly and without good reason

is the same foolish use but stresses lack of wisdom
to waste time
vsto misspend
728 1.6

To spend time doing things that are not useful instead of doing something more useful

is about wasting any resource, not only unproductive time
to blow
vsto misspend
  • Informal
265 5.3

To waste a lot of money on things you do not need

covers foolish use more generally, not only quick loss
to squander
vsto misspend
67 6.5

To use money, time, or chances in a foolish way

is similar but can mean less extreme or smaller waste
to run through
vsto misspend
16 4.4

Use up money or supplies quickly and wastefully

covers foolish wasting even when use is slower or subtle
to overspend
vsto misspend
7 4.4

To use more money than you can afford or planned to use

describes excess spending rather than the foolish wasteful quality
to throw money away
vsto misspend
4 3.5

Spend money on things you do not need

is broader, covering foolish use of time or other resources
to fritter away
vsto misspend
4 6.0

Waste time or money on small unimportant things

can describe larger or more clearly foolish losses too
to dissipate
vsto misspend
3 7.0

To use money or energy in a foolish, wasteful way

is the same foolish wasting idea but stated more simply
to waste energy
vsto misspend
2 3.5

Use time or effort in a way that achieves little

focuses on wasting resources foolishly, not only ineffective effort
to blow savings
vsto misspend
  • Informal
1 6.9

To spend saved money quickly on things you do not need

applies to foolish spending of any resource, not only savings
to overinvest
vsto misspend
1 6.1

To put more money, time, or resources into something than is wise

focuses on foolish waste rather than merely overcommitting
to make ducks and drakes
vsto misspend
  • Archaic
9.9

To waste money or other things by being careless

is wasteful too but may be less wildly reckless
to fool away
vsto misspend
8.1

To waste time, money, or chances by being careless

is similar but focuses on the foolish quality of the act
to trifle away
vsto misspend
8.2

To waste time, money, or chances on things that do not matter

is more bluntly about foolish or wasteful spending overall
to waste one's time
vsto misspend
3.3

To spend time on things that are not useful

is broader and applies to foolish use of other resources

Antonyms

715 3.5

To put money, time, or effort into something hoping for a future benefit

How Wasteful

to squander
67 6.5
to waste
1.0
to misspend
1 6.5
misuse
45 3.4

Surface Forms

misspend infinitive
misspending present participle
misspends third person singular
misspent past
misspent past participle

Morphology

misspend = spend (transparent) = mis + spend

The negative/prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' combines with the verb 'spend' to yield 'spend wrongly', a direct and regular derivation.

Etymology

Misspend combines mis- meaning 'wrong' or 'badly' with spend meaning 'to use money or time'. So misspend means to use money, time, or other resources in the wrong way, or to waste them.