misplace

/ˈmɪsˌpleɪs/

/mɪsˈpleɪs/

Other forms: misplaced; misplacing; misplaces

When you misplace your car keys, you can't remember where you put them. In other words, you temporarily lose them.

You can use the verb misplace when you can't find something. If you misplace your favorite coffee cup, you'll be annoyed, but if you misplace your wallet it could cause you real problems. The word implies that the object isn't gone for good, but that you unthinkingly put it down somewhere. When you combine the prefix mis-, which means "bad or wrong," and place, you get misplace — as in placing something in a bad spot!

Definitions of misplace

1. verb

   place (something) where one cannot find it again
   “I misplaced my eyeglasses”

   synonyms: lose, mislay

   type of:

   lay, place, pose, position, put, set

   put into a certain place or abstract location
2. verb

   place or position wrongly; put in the wrong position
   “misplaced modifiers”

   type of:

   lay, place, pose, position, put, set

   put into a certain place or abstract location