How to Use mishandle in a Sentence

mishandle

verb
  • Some of the uptick in bear nuisance reports is caused by campers who mishandle their food.
    Bob Timmons, Star Tribune, 3 Aug. 2020
  • The odds that tonight's winner might mishandle their winnings?
    Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE.com, 29 July 2022
  • Even after that, other cases of abuse were mishandled in the late 1990s or kept under wraps.
    Lee O. Sanderlin, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2023
  • Farrell opened the scoring 1:23 into the first period when the rookie took a shot from along the boards that was mishandled by Lyon and went in.
    Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2023
  • In poll after poll, city residents have said the city is on the wrong track and that Breed is mishandling the city’s recovery from the pandemic.
    Heather Knight, New York Times, 26 Sep. 2023
  • The abuse, mishandling, and the unaccountability of the funding is the problem.
    Baltimore Sun Media, Baltimore Sun, 11 Apr. 2024
  • And a pivotal lead — one that would much later crack the case — was apparently mishandled.
    Gus Garcia-Roberts, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2023
  • Details on the film are scant, but Gawande’s book explores the concepts of death and aging and how the medical profession tends to mishandle both.
    Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Apr. 2022
  • In the past, there have been instances of nuclear bases like Minot mishandling nuclear weapons.
    Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2023
  • One prominent economist agrees—and has a scalding take on how the Fed has mishandled the economy, not once but twice.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 30 May 2023
  • But models tend to mishandle the negative feedback of more sun-blocking clouds that has worked since creation.
    Andy Kessler, WSJ, 25 Apr. 2021
  • The incumbent, Lori Lightfoot, mishandled the issue so badly that her re-election bid collapsed in the first round of voting.
    wsj.com, 4 Apr. 2023
  • The report includes allegations of coverup and mishandling as well as abuse.
    Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2023
  • The most ominous threat against the relievers came in the top of the 12th, when Guerra mishandled a routine Bryce Grudzielanek grounder at third, allowing the leadoff hitter to reach base on an error.
    Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 17 Apr. 2023
  • His attorneys have previously argued the DNA may have been planted at the scene and that the state has mishandled all the evidence for the defense to review.
    Louis Casiano, Fox News, 31 May 2024
  • Fully 40 percent of Democrats thought Biden was mishandling the economy.
    Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 30 June 2023
  • In the second, third baseman Anthony Rendon mishandled a routine grounder to start the inning.
    Jeff Fletcher, Orange County Register, 28 Mar. 2024
  • Yet many in Japan are inclined to blame China for mishandling the early stages of the outbreak and Abe for not blocking visitors from China sooner.
    Isabel Reynolds, Bloomberg.com, 10 May 2020
  • In the report released last month, Hur said that Biden shouldn't face criminal charges for mishandling documents.
    Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024
  • This is not the first time Lee has been accused of falsifying or mishandling evidence.
    Lizzie Hyman, Peoplemag, 27 July 2023
  • Worse, some families’ contracts have not been honored — the funeral home went out of business, or the money was mishandled.
    Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2023
  • Athletics third baseman Brett Harris mishandled the hard liner and Perez, running hard, was able reach on an infield hit.
    Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 18 May 2024
  • Logline details for Mortal are being kept in the casket, but the book explores the concepts of death and aging and how the medical profession tends to mishandle both.
    Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2022
  • More than a third (36%) say shame about mishandling money has resulted in lying to a partner, while 32% point to avoiding an argument.
    Ron Carson, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023
  • Evidence the defense already claimed had been poorly stored and mishandled.
    Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2023
  • Although the numbers are trending lower than the same time last year, hundreds of thousands of bags still get mishandled in transit for one reason or another.
    Harrison Pierce, Travel + Leisure, 12 July 2024
  • On another play Wednesday, Pederson mishandled a grounder that could have been a double play and got the out at first instead of retiring the lead runner, something that still seemed doable.
    John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2023
  • Both Labrada and Silva, who filed the police report, have lodged legal claims against the city alleging the department mishandled their cases.
    Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
  • Other mechanisms are less intrusive and are meant to prevent accidental discharge in the event the gun is dropped or mishandled.
    Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 15 Apr. 2023
  • Judge Aileen Cannon’s decision on July 15 to dismiss the charges against Trump for mishandling classified documents, while likely to be appealed and overturned, has added to the chorus of concerned voices.
    Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 16 July 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mishandle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: