1
as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
having been shuffled from foster home to foster home, the orphaned girl felt she had been mishandled by an uncaring society
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2
as in to manhandle
to abuse physically
adopted a sadly mishandled puppy from the pound
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3
as in to mismanage
to manage badly
we took over as soon as we realized that the fill-in had been mishandling the situation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mishandle
According to Fox 2, the attorney also argued that the blood sample was mishandled by authorities and should not have been admitted as evidence.
—
Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 9 Mar. 2025
The president’s ability to declassify information has been invoked when presidents have been accused of mishandling secrets.
—David Klepper, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025
Prosecutions under the Espionage Act for mishandling national defense information haven't been limited to classified information, Heidi Kitrosser, a Northwestern University law professor who focuses on government secrecy issues, told USA TODAY in an email.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
If other information was mishandled, the risk to the safety of military members, the CIA, other national security staff, and our country should be promptly addressed.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 9 Mar. 2025
The president’s ability to declassify information has been invoked when presidents have been accused of mishandling secrets.
—David Klepper, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025
Prosecutions under the Espionage Act for mishandling national defense information haven't been limited to classified information, Heidi Kitrosser, a Northwestern University law professor who focuses on government secrecy issues, told USA TODAY in an email.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
If other information was mishandled, the risk to the safety of military members, the CIA, other national security staff, and our country should be promptly addressed.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mishandle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mishandle
Verb
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Authorities subsequently found that the boy and Ruby's 10-year-old daughter had been seriously abused.—
Liam Quinn,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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In May 2023, Attorney General Kwame Raoul published a 696-page report, which found that over about seven decades, at least 1,997 children have been abused by 451 Catholic clerics and religious brothers across the state’s dioceses.—
Natalie Demaree,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Oklahoma manhandled its two opponents in the first two rounds, dispatching No. 14 seed Florida Gulf Coast, 81-58, and not having much more trouble with No. 6 seed Iowa, 96-62.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2025
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He was accused of manhandling Mitts during a heated debate about Chicago’s status as a sanctuary city, by blocking her from entering the City Council chambers.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Trump has previously accused the organization of mismanaging the pandemic and announced a halt in funding to the WHO on April 14, 2020, during his first term in office.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
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Financing Risk Leverage fuels acquisitions, but mismanaging debt can be costly. Reduce risk by: • Investing in cash-flowing businesses to ensure debt obligations are covered.—
Joseph Drups,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But Lively did believe she had been harassed and mistreated on set, the filing claims, making the defamation accusation false.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
20 Mar. 2025
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In a series of posts on X Monday (March 17), the star clapped back at critics of her new music before calling out the way Black women have historically been mistreated.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Across the nation, dogs have bitten, mauled and killed an increasing number of people in recent years.—
Laura A. Bischoff,
USA Today,
6 Apr. 2025
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More recently, a woman suspected of shoplifting from a cosmetics store received a nearly $1 million settlement in November after a Brentwood police K9 mauled her, biting and pulling off her scalp.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Related article China vows to counter Trump’s ‘bullying’ tariffs as global trade war escalates Another Australian territory targeted by tariffs is the Cocos Islands.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2025
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While playing games and roaming through the attractions, the children are bullied by locals as well as carnival employees.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Aged 30, Makelele had been converted from an attacking midfielder to a deep-lying, anchoring midfielder that would protect his back line and hoover up any defensive actions that came anywhere near his orbit.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
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The foods the cell is accustomed to may be absent; immune cells or other novel environmental molecules may attack.—
Amber Dance,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Their son and daughter-in-law, Cameron Bott, 35, and his wife, Diana, 36, whose nearby home was damaged in the tornado, initiated a discussion about starting a GoFundMe to offset potential insurance shortfalls in rebuilding the gas station.—
Tammy Ljungblad,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2025
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There was a fire in 2023 that damaged part of the nightclub, authorities said.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mishandle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mishandle. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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