squander

American  

[skwon-der] / ˈskwɒn dər /

verb (used with object)

1. to spend or use (money, time, etc.) extravagantly or wastefully (often followed byaway ).

   Synonyms:

   lavish, dissipate, waste

   Antonyms:

   save

2. to scatter.

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noun

1. extravagant or wasteful expenditure.

squander British  

/ ˈskwɒndə /

verb

1. to spend wastefully or extravagantly; dissipate

2. an obsolete word for scatter

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noun

1. rare extravagance or dissipation

Related Words

See spend.

Other Word Forms

• resquander verb (used with object)
• squanderer noun
• squanderingly adverb
• unsquandered adjective

Etymology

Origin of squander

First recorded in 1585–95; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Without Root, England would have squandered their promising overnight position of 211-3.

From BBC

They squandered 13- and 15-point leads in the first and second quarters, respectively, but pieced together a timely 12-2 run in the fourth to improve their record in clutch games to 11-0.

From Los Angeles Times

Sunderland's Trai Hume squandered a golden opportunity when the unmarked defender headed over from 12 yards on the stroke of half-time.

From Barron's

Guardiola's side delivered an spluttering display featuring several squandered chances as they allowed Arsenal to take control of the Premier League title race.

From Barron's

I could be a crank and say I can’t wait for baseball to squander this momentum, or I could savor the sport-saving caffeine of the pitch clock and the Fall Classic’s screaming return from near-irrelevance.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• blow
• expend
• lavish
• misuse
• waste