misspend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
misspends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
misspent,
past participle, past
-
misspending
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
misspendsimple
-
misspendssimple
-
have misspentperfect
-
has misspentperfect
-
am misspendingprogressive
-
are misspendingprogressive
-
is misspendingprogressive
-
have been misspendingperfect progressive
-
has been misspendingperfect progressive
Past
-
misspentsimple
-
had misspentperfect
-
was misspendingprogressive
-
were misspendingprogressive
-
had been misspendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of misspend
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:
A former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, John Davis, pleaded guilty Thursday to federal and state felony charges in a conspiracy to misspend welfare money.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 25, 2022
Eating out frequently, memberships that aren’t being used, and multiple impulse purchases are some of the ways people misspend.
From Slate ● Jun. 6, 2021
“If there was a way to misspend money, it seems DHS leadership or their grantees thought of it and tried it,” White said Monday.
From Washington Times ● May 4, 2020
Green did not respond to an email and voice mail, but in state filings she said her nonprofit helped many and did not misspend money.
From Chicago Tribune ● Jul. 14, 2014
The marquis, dazzled by these reasons, gave up the point, and it was resolved, that the young marquis should not misspend his time in endeavoring to become acquainted with Cicero, Horace and Virgil.
From Voltaire's Romances, Complete in One Volume by
Numerous investigations and reports have determined that the city often misspends money designated for at-risk students, using it to meet regular expenses and staffing needs that the per-pupil funding should cover.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2022
In the first of the eight prints, young Tom Rakewell inherits wealth from his miserly father and misspends it for the remainder of his life in copying the lifestyle of an aristocrat.
From The Harlot's Progress, The Rake's Progress (MS., CA. 1778-1780) by Anonymous
The workers’ coordinated front is going up against a school district facing leadership turmoil and suspicion of misspent funds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
At the time, a county spokesperson declined to comment on whether any money had been misspent, stating only that the decision was made “without stating a specific breach of contract by the other party.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
She plans out every part of the trip to avoid even one misspent moment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
"If we want to restore fiscal responsibility, we must start by being transparent about the dollars that are spent, address the issues we find, and then hold those accountable who have misspent funds," Johnson wrote.
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2025
“This can’t be the first time an unauthorized person misspent money.”
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
The rules will soon establish a strong, streamlined process to limit misspending, with required financial and programmatic audits and streamlined alternatives for smaller scholarship organizations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
“If we end up misspending a couple of hundred billion dollars, I think that that is going to be very unfortunate, obviously,” Zuckerberg said in a 2025 podcast.
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
During her tenure, her agency uncovered tens of millions of dollars of local government misspending and questionable financial practices.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2024
In February, a Manhattan jury found Wayne LaPierre, the longtime leader of the N.R.A., liable for misspending $5.4 million of the organization’s money.
From New York Times ● Apr. 17, 2024
The women next door have another reproach: Maria Isabel is misspending the hard-earned money, $100 to $150 a month, that Enrique diligently sends his daughter.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
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.
