MISHANDLE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does mishandle mean? 

• MISHANDLE (verb)
  The verb MISHANDLE has 2 senses:

1. make a mess of, destroy or ruin

2. manage badly or incompetently

  Familiarity information: MISHANDLE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MISHANDLE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they mishandle    ... he / she / it mishandles   
Past simple: mishandled   
Past participle: mishandled   
-ing form: mishandling   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make a mess of, destroy or ruin

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

ball up; blow; bobble; bodge; bollix; bollix up; bollocks; bollocks up; botch; botch up; bumble; bungle; flub; fluff; foul up; fuck up; fumble; louse up; mess up; mishandle; muck up; muff; screw up; spoil

Context example:

the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement

Hypernyms (to "mishandle" is one way to...):

fail; go wrong; miscarry (be unsuccessful)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Manage badly or incompetently

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

misconduct; mishandle; mismanage

Context example:

The funds were mismanaged

Hypernyms (to "mishandle" is one way to...):

care; deal; handle; manage (be in charge of, act on, or dispose of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

And yet I do not wish to see so valiant a man mishandled, and so I will, for friendship's sake, ride after this Englishman and bring him back to you.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Again I heard from her own lips things that made my blood boil, and again I cursed this brute who mishandled the woman I loved.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Why should ye mishandle yourselves thus?

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Nay, I scarce think that they would have mishandled you so,” said Alleyne in surprise.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

But I have ever observed that the foremost in the field are they who would scorn to mishandle a prisoner.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

See how his chest heaves, and his dear feathers all awry—the little knight who would not have his lady mishandled.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

By God's coif! we are men of peace, but we are free English burghers, not to be mishandled either in our country or abroad.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)