v. 25B6; verb
the officer mishandled the situation : BUNGLE, fluff, make a mess of, mismanage, spoil, ruin, wreck; informal botch, make a hash of, mess up, muck up; Brit. informal make a pig's ear of, make a Horlicks of.
he mishandled his wife : BULLY, persecute, ill-treat, mistreat, maltreat, abuse, knock about/around, hit, beat; informal beat up.
the equipment could be dangerous if mishandled : MISUSE, abuse, handle/treat roughly.