Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To govern inefficiently or badly.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To govern ill; administer unfaithfully.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To govern badly.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To govern badly or wrongly.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb govern badly

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From mis- +‎ govern.

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Examples

  • One newspaper that supported the Copperheads called Lincoln, “fungus from the corrupt womb of bigotry and fanaticism” and a “worse tyrant and more inhuman butcher than has existed since the days of Nero… The man who votes for Lincoln now is a traitor and murderer… And if he is elected to misgovern for another four years, we trust some bold hand will pierce his heart with dagger point for the public good”.

    Congress becomes Madison’s “overbearing majority” 2010

  • Paleo-con blogger Daniel Larison has suggested that this approach could result in Israel's chief political goal actually being realised: Short of an extremely difficult and risky urban war aimed at destroying the organization entirely, which would cause massive dislocation and suffering, it seems that the best means of weakening Hamas politically is by forcing it to misgovern Gaza under relatively normal conditions.

    Israel's security requires realpolitik - not war without end Burke's Corner 2009

  • Labour needs a large poor and dependent underclass otherwise they will never be in a position to misgovern again.

    “ Letting Down Future Generations “ Newmania 2007

  • Paleo-con blogger Daniel Larison has suggested that this approach could result in Israel's chief political goal actually being realised: Short of an extremely difficult and risky urban war aimed at destroying the organization entirely, which would cause massive dislocation and suffering, it seems that the best means of weakening Hamas politically is by forcing it to misgovern Gaza under relatively normal conditions.

    Archive 2009-01-01 Burke's Corner 2009

  • His role would be responsible for all the bad stuff, leaving the rest of the administration free to misgovern in peace, while the Accountability Czar explains and apologizes for all the mistakes, and answers all the supoenas.

    Matthew Yglesias » A Galaxy of Czars 2007

  • And, plus, Wolf, we also have the opportunity for Democrats to continue to misgovern, to continue to fail the test of leadership, which is to get done the things that the American people are desperate to get done.

    CNN Transcript Sep 17, 2007 2007

  • Let us not be as foolish or arrogant as those who misgovern us; let us never forget or dismiss their betrayals of the public trust. '

    A Legacy of Damage to America: The President's Vile Precedents Etcetera 2006

  • They hurt themselves and the people they care about, and constantly misgovern their lives.

    Archive 2006-03-01 Abigail Nussbaum 2006

  • They hurt themselves and the people they care about, and constantly misgovern their lives.

    The Excitement Wears Off: Scattered Thoughts at the End of Battlestar Galactica's Second Season Abigail Nussbaum 2006

  • Let us not be as foolish or arrogant as those who misgovern us; let us never forget or dismiss their betrayals of the public trust:

    A Legacy of Damage to America: The President's Vile Precedents Etcetera 2006

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