squander

[ skwon-der ]

/ ˈskwɒn dər /

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verb (used with object)

to spend or use (money, time, etc.) extravagantly or wastefully (often followed by away).

to scatter.

noun

extravagant or wasteful expenditure.

Nearby words

Origin of squander

First recorded in 1585–95; origin uncertain

SYNONYMS FOR squander

1. waste, dissipate, lavish. See spend.

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ANTONYMS FOR squander

1. save.

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Related formssquan·der·er, nounsquan·der·ing·ly, adverbre·squan·der, verb (used with object)un·squan·dered, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for squander

We need to tell our politicians to not squander our heritage.
Honeywell CEO to Washington: Don’t Squander Our Heritage|Dave Cote|October 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
On the other hand, if we let fear carry the day, we will squander another key moment to move forward together.
Democrats Disagree on Fracking, and It's Starting to Show|Ilana Glazer|April 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Do we scale up effective intervention now and see a payoff in the next few years, or squander that opportunity?
HIV/AIDS Funding Is in Jeopardy|Matthew Zeitlin|December 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I never knew him to take his time, squander words to be merely decorous.
Christopher Hitchens Eulogized by Roya Hakakian|Roya Hakakian|December 16, 2011|DAILY BEAST

But he has chosen to squander them in ways that have offended me.
America's Bad Boy Chef|Jacob Bernstein|June 13, 2010|DAILY BEAST
And are you going to alter Jean's share too, so that this precious Vernon fellow may have something to squander?
The Prodigal Father|J. Storer Clouston
Oh, why had she squandered, or allowed Stan to squander, those good round sovereigns of Hallowell and Smith's!
A Crooked Mile|Oliver Onions
His successor and namesake did his best to squander away his fortune of thirty thousand pounds a year.
Nooks and Corners of Old England|Allan Fea
"But dost thou love life, then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of," as poor Richard says.
The Complete Works in Philosophy, Politics and Morals of the late Dr. Benjamin Franklin, [Vol 3 of 3]|Benjamin Franklin
They also squander virtues and reputation and aptitudes and opportunities.
Living for the Best|James G. K. McClure

British Dictionary definitions for squander

squander

/ (ˈskwɒndə) /

verb (tr)

to spend wastefully or extravagantly; dissipate

an obsolete word for scatter

noun

rare extravagance or dissipation

Derived Formssquanderer, noun

Word Origin for squander

C16: of unknown origin

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 squander

squander

1580s (implied in squandering), "to spend recklessly or prodigiously," of unknown origin; Shakespeare used it 1593 in "Merchant of Venice" with a sense of "to be scattered over a wide area." Squander-bug, a British symbol of reckless extravagance and waste during war-time shortages, represented as a devilish insect, was introduced January 1943 by the National Savings Committee. In U.S., Louis Ludlow coined squanderlust (1935) for the tendency of government bureaucracies to spend much money.