squander

Verb

Verb Forms: squandered, squandering, squanders

To waste money, time, or resources foolishly.
spend thoughtlessly; throw away
- "You squandered the opportunity to get and advanced degree"
spend extravagantly
To waste, lavish, splurge; to spend lavishly or profusely; to dissipate.
To scatter; to disperse.
To wander at random; to scatter.

Examples

Don’t squander your high-value tiles on low-scoring words in Scrabble.

Origin / Etymology

Earliest uses (late 16th c.) "to spend recklessly or prodigiously", also "to scatter over a wide area". Of unknown origin. Perhaps a blend of scatter + wander.
Compare Danish skvætte (rare)/skvatte (“to splash”) (nominalised: skvæt), Icelandic skvetta (“to squirt”), Swedish skvätta (“to splash”), Norwegian Bokmål skvette.

Synonyms

blow, consume, ware, waste, lavish, make ducks and drakes of, play ducks and drakes with, slather, splurge, throw away

Antonyms

conserve

Scrabble Score: 18

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

Words With Friends Score: 20

squander: valid Words With Friends Word