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Squander vs Embezzle - What's the difference?

squander | embezzle |

As verbs the difference between squander and embezzle

is that squander is to waste, lavish, splurge; to spend lavishly or profusely; to dissipate while embezzle is to steal or misappropriate money that one has been trusted with, especially to steal money from the organisation for which one works.

squander

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To waste, lavish, splurge; to spend lavishly or profusely; to dissipate.
  • * 1746 , Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac Agribusiness Management
    • Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=September 24 , author=David Ornstein , title=Arsenal 3 - 0 Bolton , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=As the game opened up, Bolton squandered a fine opportunity to equalise - Chris Eagles shooting straight at Szczesny - but then back came Arsenal.}}
  • (obsolete) To scatter; to disperse.
  • * Dryden
    • Our squandered troops he rallies.
  • To wander at random; to scatter.
  • * Shakespeare
    • The wise man's folly is anatomized / Even by squandering glances of the fool.

    Usage notes

    Squander implies starting with many resources, such as great wealth, and then wasting them (using them up to little purpose or little effect), often ending with little. Particularly used in phrases such as “squander an opportunity” or “squander an inheritance”. It may be used even if one starts with little, though usually in some construction such as “squander what little he had”.

    Synonyms

    * waste, splurge * ducks and drakes * throw away

    References

    embezzle

    English

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • (legal, business) To steal or misappropriate money that one has been trusted with, especially to steal money from the organisation for which one works.
  • * 1903, , Twelve Stories and a Dream
    • You waste your education in burglary. You should do one of two things. Either you should forge or you should embezzle'. For my own part, I ' embezzle .
  • * 1861,
    • You let Dunsey have it, sir? And how long have you been so thick with Dunsey that you must collogue with him to embezzle my money?

    Synonyms

    * defalcate * misappropriate * peculate

    Derived terms

    * embezzler * embezzlement

    References