mishandle

verb

mis·​han·​dle (ˌ)mis-ˈhan-dᵊl How to pronounce mishandle (audio)
mishandled; mishandling; mishandles

transitive verb

1
: to treat roughly : maltreat
2
: to deal with or manage wrongly or ignorantly

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 Those complaints frequently contain concerns that schools are mishandling these reports, though very few cases make it to trial. Karina Elwood, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024 Two of the cases — in Washington, D.C., and Georgia — charge Trump with interfering with the 2020 election, while the third, in Florida, charges him with mishandling classified documents. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024 Royal and communications experts say Prince William and his wife, Kate, may have wanted to maintain their privacy about her health but instead mishandled the situation and fueled a damaging photo scandal. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024 Robert Hur, who had been appointed to investigate whether Biden mishandled classified documents, wrote that the president couldn’t recall in an interview with prosecutors the date when his adult son, Beau, died of cancer. Chris Megerian, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 These insights come from the transcript of Biden’s two-day October interview with special counsel Robert K. Hur, who was investigating whether the president mishandled classified documents. Rachel Kurzius, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 Hur is set to testify in the coming hours about his 388-page report released last month that concluded Biden mishandled classified material and improperly disclosed classified information as a private citizen. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 Trump faces more than 90 felony counts in cases ranging from mishandling classified documents to trying to illegally overturn the 2020 election to falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to an adult film actress. Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024 Burgess alleged Barnes mishandled finances during his tenure as county GOP chair, and Barnes accused her of being intoxicated during a 2020 appraisal district meeting. Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mishandle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mishandle was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near mishandle

Cite this Entry

“Mishandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mishandle. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

mishandle

verb
mis·​han·​dle (ˈ)mis-ˈhan-dᵊl How to pronounce mishandle (audio)
1
: to treat roughly : maltreat
2
: to manage wrongly
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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