English Explanatory Dictionary

squander

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To waste, lavish, splurge; to spend lavishly or profusely; to dissipate.
  2. To scatter; to disperse.
  3. To wander at random; to scatter.

Pronunciation

/ˈskwɒnd.ə/ [ˈskwɒn.də] /ˈskwɑn.dɚ/ [ˈskʷɑn.dɚ] LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-squander.wav

Word forms

squander squanders squandering squandered

Etymology

Earliest uses (late 16th c.) "to spend recklessly or prodigiously", also "to scatter over a wide area". Of unknown origin. Perhaps a blend of scatter + wander. Compare Danish skvætte (rare)/skvatte (“to splash”) (nominalised: skvæt), Icelandic skvetta (“to squirt”), Swedish skvätta (“to splash”), Norwegian Bokmål skvette.

Synonyms

waste lavish splurge slather throw away make ducks and drakes of play ducks and drakes with blow

Derived words

squanderable squanderation squanderer Squandergate squanderingly squanderlust squandermania squandersome unsquandered
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