squander
Americanverb
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to spend wastefully or extravagantly; dissipate
-
an obsolete word for scatter
noun
Synonym Usage
See spend.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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squandersimple
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squanderssimple
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have squanderedperfect
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has squanderedperfect
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am squanderingprogressive
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are squanderingprogressive
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is squanderingprogressive
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have been squanderingperfect progressive
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has been squanderingperfect progressive
Past
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squanderedsimple
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had squanderedperfect
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was squanderingprogressive
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were squanderingprogressive
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had been squanderingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of squander
First recorded in 1585–95; origin uncertain
Explanation
To squander means to spend extravagantly, thoughtlessly, or wastefully. If you need to save for college, don't squander your income on nightly sushi dinners. Squander used to mean scatter, and the way we use it now implies throwing something (like money) all over the place. You can squander time as well as money. If you have a big deadline but you are chatting away or looking at social networking sites, you are squandering your time. If you have an opportunity to play for a major league baseball team but show up late to tryouts and criticize the coach, you have probably squandered your chance.
Vocabulary lists containing squander
Fahrenheit 451
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Touching Spirit Bear
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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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:
Tottenham Hotspur squander the opportunity to take a significant step towards Premier League safety as they are held to a 1-1 draw at home by Leeds United.
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
After losing in straight sets to Rishvanth Krishna from Irvine University in last year’s final, Huarte was not about to squander his second chance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026
You will respect your stepdaughter’s position by excising her from the trust, while ensuring you don’t leave a lot of swag for your stepson to squander.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 20, 2025
"Of course we are sad but the league is not over tonight. There are still many months to go," De Zerbi said after seeing his side squander a golden opportunity to take first place.
From Barron's ● Nov. 29, 2025
If you didn’t squander the money in the pubs I wouldn’t have to follow you the way I did in Brooklyn.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
The film almost entirely squanders whatever appeal it may have churned up, except it all happens so fast.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2025
Trym knows too well how the human touch squanders a wild animal’s dignity.
From Slate ● Dec. 24, 2022
Food waste not only squanders natural resources, money and effort, it degrades the environment.
From Salon ● Nov. 19, 2022
In the Mariners’ current predicament, every loss is painful — even more so when it squanders an elite pitching performance.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 2, 2022
Debauchery of Louis XV.He squanders the public revenue.
From Maria Antoinette Makers of History by Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)
It’s not only that he squandered a decent beginning, but that he revealed how far he has fallen from the thoughtful young man who once had something original to say.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
Kevin Takeuchi and Andrew Lamb hit solo home runs for the Trojans in the fourth and fifth innings, but the Trojans squandered scoring opportunities with runners in scoring position in the seventh and ninth innings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
Six match points were squandered in a quarter-final defeat by Hailey Baptiste in Madrid in April, before she let a set and a break lead slip against Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea in Rome.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Don’t miss: ‘I am her scapegoat’: My mother-in-law squandered all her money.
From MarketWatch ● May 5, 2026
After a long and bloody encounter in which something like 50,000 casualties were incurred, the Union troops routed the Confederates—but then squandered the best opportunity they’d yet had to smash General Lee’s army decisively.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
The African team took the lead and had chances to extend it, but ultimately paid dearly for squandering those opportunities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
However, in the tie-break, Sinner upped his first serves and after squandering the first of two set points, an Alcaraz double fault gave him the initiative in the match.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
“And that results in squandering more opportunities than gaining ground in negotiations.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
I have wondered in these pages whether people are squandering their retirement on eating out.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 24, 2026
“Dear Lord,” she begged, “make us poor again the way we were when we founded this town so that you will not collect for this squandering in the other life.”
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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.
