misspent

[mis-spent]

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of misspend.

adjective

1. spent wrongly or unwisely; wasted.

   misspent youth.

Word History and Origins

Origin of misspent¹

First recorded in 1425–75, for the adjective

Example Sentences

Dame Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the Commons treasury committee, said "we need to have answers" to ensure taxpayers' money was not being misspent.

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“There was no wrongdoing or things being hidden or money misspent or being stolen. What he’s saying, there’s nothing of that, you know?”

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They think claims of bureaucratic bloat and misspent tax dollars are legit across all levels of government, and he noted that in California, undocumented immigrants qualify for Medi-Cal.

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It believes that much of that funding has been misspent.

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"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.

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