Dictionary

misplace en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /mɪsˈpleɪs/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey-? Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂-der. Proto-Germanic *missaz Proto-Germanic *missa- Proto-West Germanic *missa- Old English mis- Middle English mys- English mis- English place English misplace From mis- + place.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To put something somewhere and then forget its location; to mislay.
   • I misplace my keys or wallet on a daily basis. Sometimes multiple times a day. 2019 November 25, Jason Cipriani, “Tile’s Slim and Sticker trackers are affordable and provide peace of mind”, in CNN:
   • She misplaces her things regularly (for example her phone, keys or bank card). 2017 November 27, Meadow Schroeder, “Signs of ADHD can be different in girls”, in CNN:
   • At least once a week a patient will come into Dr. Thomas Loepfe’s busy geriatric clinic in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, with a worry. She will tell him she’s been misplacing her glasses lately, or he’ll say he’s concerned about losing the car keys. 2014 September 24, Jen Christensen, “Early memory lapses may be sign of dementia”, in CNN:
   • I might have misplaced my umbrella; do you know where it is?
2. (figuratively) To apply one's talents inappropriately.
   • Bart Groothuijze, who runs the Castodian foundation promoting safer motorbiking, blames a misplaced sense of freedom and vanity. 2024 June 16, Senay Boztas, “‘The brain is very vulnerable’: Dutch cyclists urged to wear helmets as road deaths rise”, in The Guardian:
3. To put something in the wrong location.
   • Every word in English of more than one Syllable has a fixed accent established by the custom of the language, to misplace which is as offensive to the propriety of speech, as to missound the vowel. 1808, R.s. Skillern, A New System of English Grammar, page 128:

Forms

Deriveds

misplacer · misplaceable

Synonyms

mislay

Translations (40)

de verlegen (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · fi hukata (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · fi kadottaa (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · ca perdre (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · es extraviar (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · es traspapelar (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · hu elkeveredik nála (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · es asignar malamente (to apply one's talents inappropriately) · cs zašantročit (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · it smarrire (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · hu elszór (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · ru засу́нуть (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · vec pèrdar (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · pt perder (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · el παραπετώ (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · pl zapodziać (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · no forlegge (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · fr égarer (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · la āmittō (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · cmn 誤放 /误放 (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · ja 置き忘れる (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · nl misleggen (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · hu elkever (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · cs založit (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · crh coytmaq (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · ur گَن٘وانا (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · hu elhány (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · hu elveszít (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · pl zgubić (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · ru затеря́ть (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · sv förlägga (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · arz ضيع (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · hu elhagy (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · pl zagubić (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · no misforstå (to apply one's talents inappropriately) · bg забутвам (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · cmn 擱忘 /搁忘 (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · ru заложи́ть (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · ur گمانا (to put something somewhere and then forget its location) · kix thāngvā (to put something somewhere and then forget its location)