squander
Americanverb
-
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
-
squandersimple
-
squanderssimple
-
have squanderedperfect
-
has squanderedperfect
-
am squanderingprogressive
-
are squanderingprogressive
-
is squanderingprogressive
-
have been squanderingperfect progressive
-
has been squanderingperfect progressive
Past
-
squanderedsimple
-
had squanderedperfect
-
was squanderingprogressive
-
were squanderingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Touching Spirit Bear
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Kostrzewa was one of several Polish executives who signed an appeal to both governments urging them not to "squander" their close ties.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
But then comes the disappointment as Croatia equalise, before we take the lead again only to squander it and go in at half time with the match evenly poised at 2-2.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 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
But the administration also needs to take care to do it right and not squander political capital by acting outside the public perception of common sense even if it is acting lawfully.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026
He is afraid that he will not be able to put in that work, that he will squander those days, and that they will leave him worse off than he is now.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
Michael Madsen brings a much-needed jolt of bad boy energy to this dreary psychodrama that squanders good performances and a sharp midfilm twist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2023
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
Less notable are Riley’s sidekicks, a ho-hum bunch that quickly squanders our patience.
From New York Times ● Oct. 6, 2022
As soon as he gets money, it burns him till he goes off and squanders it.
From The Young Surveyor; or Jack on the Prairies by J. T. (John Townsend) Trowbridge
Instead, six of the top 10 perished by the fourth round at Flushing Meadows - including Fritz, who squandered a two-set lead against Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo in round three.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
For a company that has owned a pioneering AI lab since 2014 and has proclaimed itself “AI-first” since 2016, Google seems to have squandered an early lead, experts say.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
Fritz squandered a pair of match points at 40-15 and gave himself another with a booming forehand.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
The Americans squandered a generous draw, a high-price coach and a golden opportunity to capture a new generation by blowing their shot at a first quarterfinal in 24 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
The talent of essentially half of the Czech athletic population has been squandered.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
For now, he keeps squandering his Marvel breaks on whiffs like “Cherry” and “Uncharted.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
I can definitely understand why there might not be, let’s say, a surplus of empathy for a privileged young man carelessly and repeatedly squandering his expensive education.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
They had a knack for disastrous drafting and squandering their top picks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
They have come in for criticism after squandering a 2-0 lead against bottom side Wolves on Wednesday, conceding a 94th-minute equaliser.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
The passenger pigeon remained an emblem of natural bounty, but now it also represented the squandering of that bounty.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
