mishandle
Americanverb (used with object)
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mishandles,
present (3rd person singular)
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mishandled,
past participle, past
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mishandling
present participle
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to handle badly; maltreat.
to mishandle a dog.
-
to manage badly.
to mishandle an estate.
-
to lose or misplace.
to mishandle baggage.
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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mishandlesimple
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mishandlessimple
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have mishandledperfect
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has mishandledperfect
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am mishandlingprogressive
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are mishandlingprogressive
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is mishandlingprogressive
-
have been mishandlingperfect progressive
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has been mishandlingperfect progressive
Past
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mishandledsimple
-
had mishandledperfect
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was mishandlingprogressive
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were mishandlingprogressive
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had been mishandlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mishandle
Explanation
When you mishandle something, you make a mess of it. For example, a teacher who mishandles a classroom loses control of his students. An entrepreneur who mishandles an important meeting at her bank might have lost an opportunity to borrow money for her business, and a dog trainer who mishandles an aggressive dog might end up getting bitten. When you handle something, you deal with it, and when you add the Old English prefix mis-, it means that you've dealt with it in a "wrong" or "bad" way.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It is also in keeping with the Justice Department’s tradition of aggressively prosecuting government officials who allegedly mishandle classified information.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
An independent investigation found that Wada did not mishandle the case or show bias towards the Chinese swimmers.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2024
Wednesday was the best game that Clark had played all season, even if she did start 1 for 7 from the field and mishandle an inbound pass in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2024
Davis will be the kick returner to open the regular season, although he did mishandle a punt in the Chargers’ second preseason game, the ball eventually going out of bounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2023
But I have ever observed that the foremost in the field are they who would scorn to mishandle a prisoner.
From The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
And as Xi warned that the world's two largest economies could "come into conflict" if Washington mishandles the Taiwan issue, minor skirmishes broke out on the sidelines of their meeting.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
A majority of consumers of Asian and Pacific Islander descent are not willing to shrug off media and advertising that ridicules or mishandles their culture.
From Seattle Times ● May 1, 2024
Major mistake by the Bulldogs: Georgia’s Tyler Simmons mishandles a punt, and Notre Dame takes over at the Bulldogs’ 8-yard line.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 21, 2019
Sitting in a hotel conference room, her Chanel flats looking almost too nice against the brashly patterned carpet, Knightley has delved into discussing motherhood even though it’s a topic she thinks the media generally mishandles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2018
I wish you could see the way he mishandles a cigar.
From Quill's Window by George Barr McCutcheon
They claim Ledward has mishandled distribution of the funds and “cannot be trusted with the continued administration of the estate.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Millions of calls from customers were likely to have been mishandled over a three-year period which prevented or delayed them from switching to a better broadband, landline or pay-TV deal.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
On Thursday, according to Beijing’s readout of discussions, Xi warned t he U.S. could trigger conflict if the U.S. mishandled the situation—a slightly sharper version of what China has said before.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
It seeks millions of dollars of fines and possible suspension of the carrier’s license to sell insurance in California, alleging State Farm mishandled January 2025 wildfire claims.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
He suggested that perhaps the situation had been mishandled, that perhaps I was not possessed.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Medtronic faces several proposed class-action lawsuits over the breach, alleging mishandling of health information and poor cybersecurity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
State Farm relies on various outside firms to litigate policy disputes, including some stemming from alleged mishandling of claims related to the January 2025 wildfires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Bolton pleaded guilty this morning to mishandling classified government information.
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026
Salmond, who died in 2024, successfully sued the government in 2019 over its mishandling of harassment complaints against him.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Jones was a large man and strong enough to shake off his attackers, but he did not respond to his mishandling with force of his own.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
