mishandle.
To manipulate something roughly, causing physical damage.
Meaning & usage
To manipulate something roughly, causing physical damage.
If you mishandle a fragile package, the contents may break.
To deal with a situation incorrectly or ineffectively; to make a mistake in handling a situation.
The prime minister was accused of mishandling the diplomatic crisis.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English mishandlen, equivalent to mis- + handle. Cognate with Saterland Frisian mishondelje, West Frisian mishandelje, Dutch mishandelen (“to mistreat”), German misshandeln (“to mistreat”).
Rough manipulation which causes physical damage.
Ineffective or incorrect deal.
Improper, wrong, or bad usage or treatment; abuse.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English mishandlen, equivalent to mis- + handle. Cognate with Saterland Frisian mishondelje, West Frisian mishandelje, Dutch mishandelen (“to mistreat”), German misshandeln (“to mistreat”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.