mishandle

verb

mis·​han·​dle (ˌ)mis-ˈhan-dᵊl 

mishandled; mishandling; mishandles

transitive verb

1

: to treat roughly : maltreat

2

: to deal with or manage wrongly or ignorantly

Synonyms

• abuse
• brutalize
• bully
• ill-treat
• ill-use
• kick around
• maltreat
• manhandle
• mess over [slang]
• mistreat
• misuse

Examples of mishandle in a Sentence

The police mishandled the investigation.

Apples are easily bruised when they are mishandled.

The shortstop mishandled the throw.

The quarterback fumbled when he mishandled the snap.

Recent Examples on the Web

Over 15 major airlines, including Delta, United, Air Canada, British Airways and Lufthansa, plan to integrate this feature into their customer service processes for locating mishandled or delayed baggage. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 25 Dec. 2024

After police mishandled her case, Cadle was charged with false reporting. —Brendan Fitzgerald, Longreads, 23 Dec. 2024

The play’s about how Dahl mishandled accusations of antisemitism. —Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 20 Dec. 2024

The lawsuit, filed in Lancaster County District Court on Tuesday, alleges that the companies violated state consumer protection laws and mishandled the incident, causing widespread disruption to the healthcare system. —Lars Daniel, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

mishandle

verb

mis·​han·​dle (ˈ)mis-ˈhan-dᵊl 

1

: to treat roughly : maltreat

2

: to manage wrongly