Meaning & use
squanders
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“squanders” is a form of “squander”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitive
Third person singular of squander: wastes money, time, energy or a chance in a careless way.
Grammar: Takes an object: he squanders his pay.
Patterns
- squander something on something
He squanders his wages on lottery tickets every week.
A poor plan often squanders the talent of a good team.
She squanders her mornings scrolling on her phone.
Common combinations
- squanders money
- Anyone who squanders money this way will soon be in debt.
- squanders time
- He squanders time on tasks that do not matter.
- squanders talent
- The coach feels the club squanders talent.
- squanders a chance
- Each delay squanders a chance to fix the problem.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wastes
- Wastes is neutral and common, while squanders adds a sense of reckless loss.
- fritters away
- Fritters away suggests slowly losing something through small trivial uses.
- throws away
- Throws away is more informal and can mean losing a chance in a single careless act.
Opposites
Word family
- squander verb
- to waste something valuable
- squandered verb
- past form of squander
- squanderer noun
- someone who wastes things
Commonly confused: squanders or squads?
squanders vs squads
Squads are small groups of people; the word looks similar but is unrelated.
Practice
My brother always ___ his pocket money on sweets within a day.
Choose one answer.
Squanders fits a person who wastes money quickly. Saves is the opposite, and earns and lends do not describe wasting.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “squanders”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.