misplace

[ mis-pleys ]

/ mɪsˈpleɪs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR misplace ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), mis·placed, mis·plac·ing.

to put in a wrong place.

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

to place or bestow improperly, unsuitably, or unwisely: to misplace one's trust.

Nearby words

misorientate, misperceive, misperception, mispick, mispickel, misplace, misplaced, misplaced modifier, misplay, misplead, mispleading

Origin of misplace

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

SYNONYMS FOR misplace

3 misapply.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR misplace ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

mis·place·ment, noun

Synonym study

1, 2. See displace.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for misplace

Others use all the points, but misplace them in a most ludicrous manner.
The Gentlemen's Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness|Cecil B. Hartley
I could not tell how to speak my words for fear I should misplace them.'
Bunyan|James Anthony Froude
She thought it cleverer to withhold trust from everybody, lest she misplace it in somebody.
We Can't Have Everything|Rupert Hughes
Should the tenant lose or misplace the key it is up to them to replace same.
The Book of Business Etiquette|Nella Henney

But if we blew it up now, Slade will put the blame on us—— Tell you what—I'll just misplace the key.
Bloom of Cactus|Robert Ames Bennet

British Dictionary definitions for misplace

misplace

/ (ˌmɪsˈpleɪs) /

verb (tr)

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

Derived Forms

misplacement, 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