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definitions

misplace

[mis-pleys]
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verb (used with object), mis·placed, mis·plac·ing.
  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.

Origin of misplace

First recorded in 1545–55; mis-1 + place
Related formsmis·place·ment, noun

Synonyms for misplace

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3. misapply.

Synonym study

1, 2. See displace.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for misplace

disorganize, disturb, confuse, unsettle, mislay, disorder, displace, remove, mix, muss, dishevel, miss, scatter, disarrange, misfile

Examples from the Web for misplace

Historical Examples of misplace

  • I could not tell how to speak my words for fear I should misplace them.'

    Bunyan

    James Anthony Froude

  • Should the tenant lose or misplace the key it is up to them to replace same.

  • She does not misplace her embellishments with the error of some human artists.

  • Belle, how many times must I ask you not to misplace my things?

    Murder at Bridge

    Anne Austin

  • I could not now tell how to speak my words, for fear I should misplace them.

British Dictionary definitions for misplace

misplace

verb (tr)
  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
Derived Formsmisplacement, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for misplace
v.

1550s, "to assign a wrong position to;" see mis- (1) + place (v.). Of affections, confidence, etc., "to give to a wrong object," it is recorded from 1630s. Related: Misplaced; misplacing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper