Definition

1. Verb:
   • To spend money or resources extravagantly and wastefully: To use something valuable in a careless or foolish way, resulting in its loss or depletion.
   • To fail to take advantage of; to waste an opportunity: To allow something valuable, like time or a chance, to be lost without getting any benefit from it.

Usage and Examples

• Verb:
  • He squandered his entire savings on a risky business venture that failed. (He spent all his money wastefully on a bad investment.)
  • The team squandered a ten-point lead in the final minutes of the game. (The team carelessly lost a big advantage they had.)
  • Don't squander this chance to study abroad; it may not come again. (Do not waste this valuable opportunity.)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "To squander away": This phrasal form emphasizes the gradual or complete process of wasting something.
  • He squandered away his family's fortune over a few years.
• The word often carries a strong tone of criticism or regret, implying that the waste was unnecessary and foolish.

Variants and Related Words

• Squanderer (noun): A person who squanders.
  • He was known as a reckless squanderer of his inheritance.
• Squandering (noun/gerund): The act of wasting resources.
  • The squandering of natural resources is a global concern.

Synonyms

• Waste: To use or expend carelessly or without purpose. (More general)
• Fritter away: To waste something, especially money or time, gradually on trivial things.
• Misspend: To spend time or money unwisely or improperly.
• Dissipate: To scatter or disperse wastefully (often used for resources or energy).

Antonyms

• Save: To keep and store up for future use.
• Conserve: To protect something from harm, loss, or waste.
• Hoard: To accumulate and store away, often excessively.
• Invest: To use money or resources with the expectation of future benefit.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Squander one's birthright": To waste a fundamental advantage or inheritance one was born with.
  • By dropping out, he squandered his birthright to a first-class education.
• While not a phrasal verb, the verb is frequently used with objects like .

Verb

1. spend extravagantly
   • waste not, want not
2. spend thoughtlessly; throw away
   • He wasted his inheritance on his insincere friends
   • You squandered the opportunity to get and advanced degree