squandered

verb

past tense of squander
1
as in spent
to use up carelessly squandered all her money gambling in casinos

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dispersed
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 squandered The Dodgers squandered home-field advantage and a chance to take control of the National League Division Series, losing 3-2 to the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium and evening the series. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 Last season yielded a different kind, as the Astros squandered a seven-game division lead at midseason and missed the playoffs. — Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 27 Sep. 2026 Israelis poured into the streets, outraged that Netanyahu had squandered opportunities to reach a deal that might have saved them. — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026 There’s so much potential in American Hostage, mostly squandered. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026 Bidding to clinch a wild-card berth, the Red Sox squandered a prime opportunity in the top of the ninth. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026 The Guardians squandered a 4-2 lead but climbed to within one run entering the ninth. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 This lack of awareness was on show in 2025, when, fearful of a trade war, Brussels squandered its own leverage and signed off on a lopsided framework with Washington. — Jonas Nahm, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026 The early fireworks weren’t enough as the Sox squandered the three-run lead in a 6-4 loss to the Twins in front of 27,749 at Rate Field. — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squandered
  1. spent
  2. dispersed
  3. lost
  4. wasted
Verb
  • Messner was convicted of bankruptcy fraud in 1995 and spent about two years in prison.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
  • This is one of the newer segments to join Spotify, which has also been expanding from podcasting and music into fitness, in a push to increase customer stickiness and the time spent on the platform.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of spent
Verb
  • This jagged microscopic debris, easily dispersed by meteorite impacts and rocket exhaust, is corrosive, abrasive and adhesive.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Anti-Japanese sentiment had motivated Amino’s move from Los Angeles to New York in 1935; the US deemed East Coast Japanese populations as more dispersed and thus less of a threat.
    — Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of dispersed
Verb
  • The neighborhood/area The fishing village of Conca dei Marini remains a lovely reminder of what this whole coast was once like—sleepy, charming, lost in time.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • In the latest case, a 15-year-old boy lost a hand Monday in an incident involving a police stun grenade.
    — NICOLAS GARRIGA, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of lost
Verb
  • The routes are mapped out to ensure that not a drop of fuel goes wasted; however, there comes a point when costs must be passed on to customers or operating is no longer economical, Diaz said.
    — Natasha Chen, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Pages had wasted the Dodgers’ second challenge on a clear strike moments earlier.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of wasted

Browse Nearby Words

squander
squandered
squanderer
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Cite this Entry

“Squandered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squandered. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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