misplace

verb

mis·​place ˌmis-ˈplās 

misplaced; misplacing; misplaces

transitive verb

1

a

: to put in a wrong or inappropriate place

misplace a comma

b

: mislay

misplaced the keys

2

: to set on a wrong object or eventuality

his trust had been misplaced

misplacement

ˌmis-ˈplās-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• lose
• mislay

Examples of misplace in a Sentence

I seem to have misplaced my keys.

Recent Examples on the Web

The guilt may not be entirely misplaced—especially among higher income people in developed countries. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 June 2025

The moral panic was misplaced, but not unusual—part of a long national tradition of culture wars waged under the pretense of politics. —Alan Siegel, The Atlantic, 11 June 2025

Unfortunately for Jones, the hope was misplaced, at least on Tuesday, as an offensive outburst in the sixth and seventh innings propelled the Twins (33-27) to a 10-3 win over the A’s, whose recent stretch is the worst for the franchise in decades. —Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2025

That’s how teams lose direction, trust gets misplaced, and judgment breaks down. —Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for misplace

• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• blackface
• boldface
• bookcase
• braincase
• briefcase
• carcase

Kids Definition

misplace

verb

mis·​place (ˈ)mis-ˈplās 

1

: to put in a wrong place

2

: mislay

misplacement noun