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 team’s good will had been squandered over the years by parting with a few of their best players. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026 The Giants have squandered Webb’s starts for the better part of five years. — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026 Campbell’s charge, then, was to get the Nittany Lions over the Mount Nittany-sized hump that squandered every season. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026 Napheesa Collier had 20 points and nine rebounds, Kayla McBride scored 19 points and the WNBA-leading Minnesota Lynx nearly squandered a 29-point lead before holding off the Portland Fire 85-81 on Wednesday night. — CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 France had enough offensive firepower to potentially win the tournament, but Les Bleus lost to Spain in the semifinals and squandered their chance at reaching a third straight World Cup final. — Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026 But in the semifinals, England squandered a late 1-0 lead to Lionel Messi and Argentina, and France — a tournament favorite —was outclassed 2-0 by Spain. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026 France lost to Spain in the semifinals and squandered its chance at reaching a third straight World Cup final. — ABC News, 18 July 2026 The Red Sox squandered a golden opportunity early, loading the bases in the top of the first and coming away empty handed, but made up for it with a big second inning. — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 7 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squandered
  1. spent
  2. dispersed
  3. lost
  4. wasted
Verb
  • The professional explorers spent a year living inside the Boundary Waters, using their platform to speak loudly for its protection.
    — Erin Hassanzadeh, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Chief among them was the United Kingdom, which soon began to attract a number of big-budget movies thanks to a hugely popular 25% cash rebate on production expenses, including money spent on actors’ salaries and other above-the-line costs.
    — Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of spent
Verb
  • Since the fish dispersed, Bucky Dent and the other bears must also spread out.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Such artifacts were increasingly more dispersed in later burial stages.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of dispersed
Verb
  • By this stage, Villa had already lost two physios and its head of medical services, Arnaldo Abrantes, to Arsenal.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Fifteen customers by Fall Creek near Pendleton also lost power.
    — John Tufts, IndyStar, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of lost
Verb
  • Not only was $25,000 of taxpayer money wasted, but the public is still in the dark and still losing money.
    — Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2026
  • An enormous amount of safe food gets taken off shelves and is wasted under the current system, costing big retailers hundreds of millions — and in some extraordinary cases, billions — of dollars each year, according to Yiannas.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 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 22 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of squandered for Spanish Speakers

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