squander

verb

ˈskwän-dər How to pronounce squander (audio)
Definition of squandernext
1
as in to spend
to use up carelessly squandered all her money gambling in casinos

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to disperse
to cause (members of a group) to move widely apart a single blast of the shotgun squandered the herd of deer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of squander That was the main takeaway when watching Coleman’s 2024 and 2025 tape, as he was regularly squandered in the Auburn offense. — Dane Brugler, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 The Marlins squandered a chance to take the lead in the seventh when Jakob Marsee was thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice by Otto Lopez. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026 After the Braves squandered an early 3-0 lead against Tyler Glasnow, who made his first big league start in 3 1/2 months, Matt Olson led off the eighth with a double to left-center against Tanner Scott (1-4). — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026 Chinese leaders started to see rare earths as a natural resource the country could not afford to squander. — Gloria Xiong, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for squander
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squander
  1. spend
  2. disperse
  3. lose
  4. waste
Verb
  • Robert spent the prior six years with Chicago, hitting 38 home runs and stealing 20 bases in 2023, his best season and lone All-Star appearance.
    — Will Sammon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • While higher earners had been spending more using credit cards, the institute said the gap across income classes began narrowing in May of this year.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of spend
Verb
  • Smotrich and his partners have dispersed new settlements in places with high tactical importance, deliberately separating areas under Palestinian control to disrupt the territorial continuity that could one day form the basis of a Palestinian state.
    — Amos Harel, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2026
  • But within seconds, an air raid alert sounded, and the crowd dispersed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of disperse
Verb
  • The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that over a million children have lost food benefits since July 2025, when the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law.
    — Juliana Kim, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The Buffaloes lost seven of their final eight games, including a 53-7 loss to Utah and a 52-17 loss to Arizona.
    — Christopher Kamrani, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of lose
Verb
  • The next milestone will be moving beyond individual production lines and demonstrating that waste plastic-to-SAF systems can operate reliably, economically and at a scale to become a meaningful source of aviation fuel.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The Dodgers dropped another one-run heartbreaker in Detroit, wasting Blake Snell’s five innings of one-run baseball as the Tigers walked off with a 2-1 win.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of waste

Browse Nearby Words

squamous
squander
squandered
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Squander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squander. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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