Meaning & use
squander
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Meaning
verbtransitive
To waste money, time or a chance by using it carelessly or foolishly.
Grammar: Always takes an object: squander a fortune; the object is usually something valuable.
Patterns
- squander something on something
- squander something away
He squandered his inheritance on fast cars and parties.
Don't squander this chance to impress the committee.
The team squandered a three-goal lead in the second half.
Word forms
| third person singular | squanders |
|---|---|
| past tense | squandered |
| past participle | squandered |
| -ing form | squandering |
Common combinations
- squander a fortune
- The young heir squandered a fortune in two years.
- squander an opportunity
- She felt she had squandered an opportunity by saying no.
- squander resources
- The city squandered resources on a stadium nobody used.
- squander time
- I squandered the afternoon scrolling on my phone.
- squander a lead
- The runner squandered his lead in the last lap.
- squander on something
- He squandered his salary on useless gadgets.
Synonyms and how they differ
- waste
- Waste is the general, neutral word, while squander suggests larger amounts of something valuable being thrown away foolishly.
- fritter away
- Fritter away suggests losing something little by little on trivial things, whereas squander can be sudden and large.
- blow
- Blow is informal and often used for spending a sum of money quickly or ruining a chance.
- lavish
- Lavish means to give or spend generously and does not imply foolishness or loss.
Opposites
Word family
- squanderer noun
- a person who wastes money or resources
- squandering noun
- the act of wasting something carelessly
Commonly confused: squander or wander?
squander vs wander
Wander means to walk without a fixed aim and is not related in meaning, although the two words look alike.
Practice
The government was criticized for ____ millions on a project that never opened.
Choose one answer.
Squandering means wasting carelessly, which matches the criticism of money lost on a failed project. Investing, saving and earning are positive and would not lead to criticism here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “squander”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.