misemploy

[ mis-em-ploi ]
/ ˌmɪs ɛmˈplɔɪ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR misemploy ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to use for the wrong purpose; use wrongly or improperly; misuse.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of misemploy

First recorded in 1600–10; mis-1 + employ

OTHER WORDS FROM misemploy

mis·em·ploy·ment, noun

Words nearby misemploy

mise, mise en place, mise en scène, misease, miseducate, misemploy, miseno, misenus, miser, miser, the, miserabilism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to misemploy

corrupt, exploit, pervert, squander, mistreat, debase, demean, misuse, blow, exhaust, drain, consume, lavish, deplete, dissipate, lose, divert, undermine, err, botch

Example sentences from the Web for misemploy

  • To turn one of his colonels into my Spanish master would be seriously to misemploy his precious time.

    The Actress in High Life|Sue Petigru Bowen