1
as in spends
to use up carelessly
squandered all her money gambling in casinos
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disperses
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 squanders
However, while singular moments are presented with clarity, the film often squanders its emotional momentum.
—
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 12 Mar. 2026
Instead, the movie squanders Knight’s talent for delivery and hands him an awkward slapstick bit that feels like work just to watch.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2025
Either the Broncos offense wakes up, or this team squanders all of the goodwill from beating the Eagles last week.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
But Team Blue ultimately squanders their lead, completely botching the puzzle as the other two tribes smoke theirs.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 1 Oct. 2025
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 12 Mar. 2026
Instead, the movie squanders Knight’s talent for delivery and hands him an awkward slapstick bit that feels like work just to watch.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2025
Either the Broncos offense wakes up, or this team squanders all of the goodwill from beating the Eagles last week.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
But Team Blue ultimately squanders their lead, completely botching the puzzle as the other two tribes smoke theirs.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squanders
Verb
-
Marty is self-absorbed, forgetful, doesn’t much like people and spends hours online looking for advice about how to be a handyman.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
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The first two will be built in Finland while the company spends between $700 million to $1 billion to renovate the shipyards in the ports of Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas.—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Wind disperses seeds from some plants to perpetuate the species.—
Sheryl De Vore,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
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If frozen molecules can survive within these dusty structures, they may later be released into the interstellar medium as the nebula disperses, contributing complex material to future generations of stars and planetary systems.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One scholarly paper found that the typical retiree who claims before 70 loses $182,370 in potential Social Security income.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
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Access to the clinics will be limited to anyone who loses coverage as a result of new federal rules for Medicaid eligibility, set to take effect next January.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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War wastes innocent lives, trillions of dollars and time better spent on, for example, global climate change and the necessary global cooperation needed to address it.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
14 Mar. 2026
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This not only wastes money and product, but also exposes pollinators and other wildlife to unnecessary chemicals.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squanders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squanders. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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