misplace

American  

[mis-pleys] / mɪsˈpleɪs /

verb (used with object)

misplaced, misplacing

1. to put in a wrong place.

2. to put in a place afterward forgotten; lose; mislay.

3. to place or bestow improperly, unsuitably, or unwisely.

   to misplace one's trust.

   Synonyms:

   misapply

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misplace British  

/ ˌmɪsˈpleɪs /

verb

1. to put (something) in the wrong place, esp to lose (something) temporarily by forgetting where it was placed; mislay

2. (often passive) to bestow (trust, confidence, affection, etc) unadvisedly

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Related Words

See displace.

Other Word Forms

• misplacement noun

Etymology

Origin of misplace

First recorded in 1545–55; mis- ¹ + place

Example Sentences

Investigators will "explicitly" consider the backgrounds of offenders, including their ethnicity and religion, Mahmood said, and "whether the authorities failed to properly investigate what happened out of a misplaced desire to protect community cohesion".

From BBC

Calpers’s decision to add to its holdings might prove savvy, and the market’s skepticism might be misplaced.

From The Wall Street Journal

The technique involves attaching an original sketch to an adhesive backing, cutting it out, strategically sprinkling sand on the desired areas, then removing any misplaced grains one by one.

From Los Angeles Times

One widely upvoted post calls it "fine as a closure… but way short of expectations", pointing to a "rushed" narrative, overlong action sequences and music that feels "misplaced".

From BBC

“The concerns about recession are not misplaced,” said chief economist Ryan Sweet of Oxford Economics.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• confuse
• disorganize
• disturb
• unsettle