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
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Recent Examples of squandered
Cuba has squandered the goodwill of governments across the ideological spectrum.
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Ricardo Torres, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
The Longhorns nearly squandered a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter of the Ole Miss game before escaping with a three-point triumph.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 7 Jan. 2026
Sunday’s victory caps off an impressive late-season rally for the Steelers, who squandered an early lead with a 2-5 stretch in October and November.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
After beating the Utah Mammoth to start the five-game residency, the B’s lost to the Edmonton Oilers, squandered a winnable game in a shootout to the Vancouver Canucks and, on Sunday night, took a thorough beating at the hands of the Ottawa Senators, 6-2, at the Garden.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
In between those latter two home runs, Isiah Kiner-Falefa was thrown out at home by an inch; Andy Pages, a defensive substitution, quite literally ran over Hernandez to make a catch and save the season; and even the Dodgers squandered their own opportunity in the 10th.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Nov. 2025
But that penalty would have never existed had Florida not squandered two drives in the final eight minutes, both in representative fashion.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2025
But those opportunities were often squandered.
—Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 31 Oct. 2025
The Yankees squandered an opportunity to win a championship with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squandered
Verb
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The trio were indicted in May and accused of falsifying loan applications to get federal pandemic relief funds and money meant for Brown’s nonprofit that was spent on a lavish birthday party and Louis Vuitton items.—
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McLendon has spent the last two seasons on the practice squad prior to making his Dolphins debut during the season finale against the New England Patriots.—
Verb
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The four-cup collection also features one special Golden Fan Cup design, 3,000 of which will be randomly dispersed for sale across restaurants nationwide.—
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Randomly dispersed among the cups nationwide will be 3,000 Golden Fan Cups.—
Verb
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The Carolina Panthers lost the game but won a war Saturday night, rekindling the fervor that their fan base felt 10 years ago.—
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According to organizers, the ICE Out for Good Rally in Columbia is calling on Howard County residents to demand accountability, honor the life lost, and make visible the human cost of ICE's actions.—
Verb
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While Skenes' early years are apparently being wasted in a Pittsburgh organization that refuses to spend money to create a playoff-contending roster around him, the Pirates could build from within to create a strong team a few years down the road by stockpiling top prospects, Rymer argued.—
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The offense underachieved in 2025 and wasted a strong season from the starting rotation.—
Cite this Entry
“Squandered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squandered. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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