mishandle

Verb

make a mess of, destroy or ruin
manage badly or incompetently
To manipulate something roughly, causing physical damage.
To deal with a situation incorrectly or ineffectively; to make a mistake in handling a situation.

Noun

Rough manipulation which causes physical damage.
Ineffective or incorrect deal.
Improper, wrong, or bad usage or treatment; abuse.

Examples

If you mishandle a fragile package, the contents may break.
The prime minister was accused of mishandling the diplomatic crisis.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English mishandlen, equivalent to mis- + handle. Cognate with Saterland Frisian mishondelje, West Frisian mishandelje, Dutch mishandelen (“to mistreat”), German misshandeln (“to mistreat”).

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, misconduct, mismanage, muck up, muff, screw up, spoil, abuse, handle incorrectly, handle roughly, maul, misuse

Scrabble Score: 15

mishandle: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
mishandle: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
mishandle: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 17

mishandle: valid Words With Friends Word