misplace
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to put (something) in the wrong place, esp to lose (something) temporarily by forgetting where it was placed; mislay
-
(often passive) to bestow (trust, confidence, affection, etc) unadvisedly
Synonym Usage
See displace.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
misplacesimple
-
misplacessimple
-
have misplacedperfect
-
has misplacedperfect
-
am misplacingprogressive
-
are misplacingprogressive
-
is misplacingprogressive
-
have been misplacingperfect progressive
-
has been misplacingperfect progressive
Past
-
misplacedsimple
-
had misplacedperfect
-
was misplacingprogressive
-
were misplacingprogressive
-
had been misplacingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of misplace
Explanation
When you misplace your car keys, you can't remember where you put them. In other words, you temporarily lose them. You can use the verb misplace when you can't find something. If you misplace your favorite coffee cup, you'll be annoyed, but if you misplace your wallet it could cause you real problems. The word implies that the object isn't gone for good, but that you unthinkingly put it down somewhere. When you combine the prefix mis-, which means "bad or wrong," and place, you get misplace — as in placing something in a bad spot!
Vocabulary lists containing misplace
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 1
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Keystone Exams: English Composition Glossary
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mis-
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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:
Just as robots can misplace blocks, chatbots can generate false or misleading outputs.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 5, 2026
It is a worrying thing to misplace your kneecap.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2024
It’s proof that the 20-time Grammy winner, who settles in for eight solo shows at Seattle’s downtown jazz mecca, can misplace more gems than most mortals will ever lay down.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2023
The case is even handcuffed to his wrist: that way, he’ll never misplace it.
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2023
“Do let me know if you misplace that precious souvenir again. I have eyes everywhere, all the time.”
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
One of Early’s other beloved characters, a Southern standup comedian named Vicky with a V who loves Maggiano’s restaurants and frequently misplaces her denim jacket, shares a similar tenderheartedness to Maddie.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Like many other people with ADHD, she often has to re-purchase items such as watches and keys because she regularly misplaces them.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2024
Or more specifically, hope that Berger misplaces something.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 26, 2022
She’s a working mom with lots of hobbies, and when she misplaces her keys or important papers — or leaves a favorite purse at a restaurant — she becomes frustrated and irritable.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 10, 2022
He misplaces his reading glasses, the ones attached to the Dollar Store string.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
“Without this information, we would have misplaced donations, and wasted time that kids with cancer don’t have,” wrote Emily McFadden, co-founder of the nonprofit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
So let me offer a different lineup, since the country seems to have misplaced it.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
"This isn't misplaced confidence, as we've shown time and time again that we won't stop until we've caught offenders, put them before the courts, and secured justice for victims."
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
So while analysts expect some weakness following such a strong run-up this year, some believe worries of a continued meltdown appear to be misplaced.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
For the alchemists, the reality of the philosopher’s stone was beyond question; within a generation their appeal to authority, to ancient texts and secret manuscripts, seemed hopelessly misplaced.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
“The IRS is not unknown for, perhaps, misplacing mail as it comes in,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026
Occasionally, he has had heated arguments with the media, lambasting outlets for "misplacing" their focus.
From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026
According to reports from Reuters and the Wall Street Journal, he fired a Coast Guard pilot after blaming him misplacing Noem's blanket as they switched from one plane to another on a trip.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026
Seventy-nine-year-old Genevieve Lane volunteered to take the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi in a clinical trial because she was forgetting words and misplacing her keys.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2024
“I’m always misplacing stuff. Probably left them in the fridge when I got the milk out this morning. Really, they could be anywhere.”
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
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.
