SQUANDER

consume, squander, waste, ware

(verb) spend extravagantly; “waste not, want not”

waste, blow, squander

(verb) spend thoughtlessly; throw away; “He wasted his inheritance on his insincere friends”; “You squandered the opportunity to get and advanced degree”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

squander (third-person singular simple present squanders, present participle squandering, simple past and past participle squandered)

To waste, lavish, splurge; to spend lavishly or profusely; to dissipate.

(obsolete) To scatter; to disperse.

(obsolete) To wander at random; to scatter.

Usage notes

Squander implies starting with many resources, such as great wealth, and then wasting them (using them up to little purpose or little effect), often ending with little. Particularly used in phrases such as “squander an opportunity” or “squander an inheritance”. It may be used even if one starts with little, though usually in some construction such as “squander what little he had”.

Synonyms

• waste, splurge

• ducks and drakes

• throw away

Anagrams

• quanders

Source: Wiktionary

Squan"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Squandered; p. pr. & vb. n. Squandering.] Etym: [Cf. Scot. squatter to splash water about, to scatter, to squander, Prov. E. swatter, Dan. sqvatte, Sw. sqvätta to squirt, sqvättra to squander, Icel. skvetta to squirt out, to throw out water.]

1. To scatter; to disperse. [Obs.] Our squandered troops he rallies. Dryden.

2. To spend lavishly or profusely; to spend prodigally or wastefully; to use without economy or judgment; to dissipate; as, to squander an estate. The crime of squandering health is equal to the folly. Rambler.

Syn.

– To spend; expend; waste; scatter; dissipate.

Squan"der, v. i.

1. To spend lavishly; to be wasteful. They often squandered, but they never gave. Savage.

2. To wander at random; to scatter. [R.] The wise man's folly is anatomized Even by squandering glances of the fool. Shak.

Squan"der, n.

Definition: The act of squandering; waste.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition