1
a
: a sparsely settled or barren region : desert
b
: uncultivated land
c
: a broad and empty expanse (as of water)
3
a
: loss through breaking down of bodily tissue
b
: gradual loss or decrease by use, wear, or decay
4
a
: damaged, defective, or superfluous material produced by a manufacturing process: such as
(1)
: material rejected during a textile manufacturing process and used usually for wiping away dirt and oil
cotton waste
(2)
: scrap
(3)
: an unwanted by-product of a manufacturing process, chemical laboratory, or nuclear reactor
toxic waste
hazardous waste
nuclear waste
c
: material derived by mechanical and chemical weathering of the land and moved down sloping surfaces or carried by streams to the sea
wasted; wasting
1
: to lay waste
especially
: to damage or destroy gradually and progressively
reclaiming land wasted by strip-mining
3
: to wear away or diminish gradually : consume
4
a
: to spend or use carelessly : squander
waste valuable resources
b
: to allow to be used inefficiently or become dissipated
a writer wasting her talent
5
: kill
also
: to injure severely
1
: to lose weight, strength, or vitality
—often used with away
was wasting away from illness
2
a
: to become diminished in bulk or substance
b
: to become consumed
3
: to spend money or consume property extravagantly or improvidently
1
2
: being in a ruined or devastated condition
3
a
: discarded as worthless, defective, or of no use : refuse
waste material
b
: excreted from or stored in inert form in a living body as a by-product of vital activity
waste products
4
[waste entry 1]
: serving to conduct or hold refuse material
a waste barrel
specifically
: carrying off superfluous water
a waste drain
5
Synonyms
Noun
Verb
- blow
- dissipate
- fiddle away
- fritter (away)
- lavish
- lose
- misspend
- run through
- spend
- squander
- throw away
- trifle (away)
Adjective
Examples of waste in a Sentence
Noun
The current system causes a lot of waste.
We need to find ways to reduce unnecessary waste.
These old computers are still useful. It seems like such a waste to throw them away.
Any further investment would be a waste of valuable resources.
The city oversees waste disposal contracts.
Verb
Don't waste water during the summer drought.
He always wasted his money on useless gadgets.
Turn off the lights so we don't waste electricity.
I think he's just wasting my time.
We can't afford to waste so much food.
We can't afford to waste this opportunity.
Adjective
waste acreage that was not fit for anything
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Hillary Maglin, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2023
Mark Kelly The Biden administration continues to follow that old Democratic maxim: Never let a crisis go to waste.
—Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2023
Plastic pollution is also expected to outpace the efforts to reduce waste and could even outpace coal’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Sep. 2023
DiStefano said UMass Dining both keeps and forecasts service records of the amount of food served, the goal being to mitigate waste.
—Brooke Hauser, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2023
The free trash days apply to residential waste only.
—Amy Bushatz, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Sep. 2023
Rankin missed and one of the Blue Raiders’ most productive drives went to waste.
—Matt Stahl | Mstahl@al.com, al, 3 Sep. 2023
That level of waste has now doubled with the removal of the 2023 postseason.
—Jon Wilner | Bay Area News Group, oregonlive, 28 Aug. 2023
This modern-looking worm farm can hold up to 5 pounds of food waste a week.
—Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2023
Shawn McFarland, Dallas News, 6 Sep. 2023
At that point, Kelly wasted no more time in giving the ball back to Moore, the guy the recruiting rankings say is the most talented college player he’s ever coached.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2023
Like so many of his generation, including my own father, Dominy believed that any natural resource not used was wealth wasted.
—Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2023
The passenger can conduct business as usual without wasting time with connectivity issues.
—Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023
Thirty-one percent of food wasted means 31% of the energy, water, and materials used to grow, harvest, package, distribute, and store it is also used in vain.
—Melissa Breyer, Treehugger, 30 Aug. 2023
Avid hikers know that any type of discount on Salomon footwear is rare, so don't waste any time adding these on-sale trail runners to your REI cart.
—Jen Ator, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2023
The father of three children, a husband, and a productive entrepreneur, David wasted two of the most precious resources, time and money, disturbing his life and budget.
—Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 23 Aug. 2023
Admitting that and taking a break for a fun activity might actually waste less of your time than dawdling.
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2023
Nadja Sayej, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2022
Fanning out like urban guerrillas through Paris’ darkened streets well after midnight, the anti-waste activists shinny up walls and drain pipes, reaching for switches to turn off the lights. Click.
—The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2022
But for sheer novelty in this post-waste world, few companies may top Extract Energy.
—Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2021
For many of them, working at a high-growth company with a feel-good, anti-waste mission had felt like the pinnacle of their working lives.
—Lauren Weber, WSJ, 17 May 2021
The new anti-waste law aims to encourage buyers to repair their devices rather than replace them with new products.
—Chris Smith, BGR, 26 Feb. 2021
To boost that percentage, France passed an anti-waste bill last year mandating that electronics manufacturers make a repairability index visible on their products.
—Maddie Stone, Wired, 20 Feb. 2021
One study shows that restaurants save $7 for every $1 invested in anti-waste methods.
—Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Mar. 2020
Reviving discarded clothing and giving it new life through painting and alterations, artist MI Legget goes against the grain and champions anti-waste values in the industry.
—Erin Parker, Glamour, 11 June 2020
See More
Noun
Most sustainable brands aim to make luggage that lasts as long as possible so as to not create unnecessary waste.
—Hillary Maglin, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2023
Mark Kelly The Biden administration continues to follow that old Democratic maxim: Never let a crisis go to waste.
—Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2023
Plastic pollution is also expected to outpace the efforts to reduce waste and could even outpace coal’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Sep. 2023
DiStefano said UMass Dining both keeps and forecasts service records of the amount of food served, the goal being to mitigate waste.
—Brooke Hauser, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2023
The free trash days apply to residential waste only.
—Amy Bushatz, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Sep. 2023
Rankin missed and one of the Blue Raiders’ most productive drives went to waste.
—Matt Stahl | Mstahl@al.com, al, 3 Sep. 2023
That level of waste has now doubled with the removal of the 2023 postseason.
—Jon Wilner | Bay Area News Group, oregonlive, 28 Aug. 2023
This modern-looking worm farm can hold up to 5 pounds of food waste a week.
—Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2023
Verb
There’s no if’s, and’s or but’s about it: the Rangers can’t waste this opportunity against a tanking opponent.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas News, 6 Sep. 2023
At that point, Kelly wasted no more time in giving the ball back to Moore, the guy the recruiting rankings say is the most talented college player he’s ever coached.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2023
Like so many of his generation, including my own father, Dominy believed that any natural resource not used was wealth wasted.
—Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2023
The passenger can conduct business as usual without wasting time with connectivity issues.
—Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023
Thirty-one percent of food wasted means 31% of the energy, water, and materials used to grow, harvest, package, distribute, and store it is also used in vain.
—Melissa Breyer, Treehugger, 30 Aug. 2023
Avid hikers know that any type of discount on Salomon footwear is rare, so don't waste any time adding these on-sale trail runners to your REI cart.
—Jen Ator, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2023
The father of three children, a husband, and a productive entrepreneur, David wasted two of the most precious resources, time and money, disturbing his life and budget.
—Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 23 Aug. 2023
Admitting that and taking a break for a fun activity might actually waste less of your time than dawdling.
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2023
Adjective
This anti-waste brand upcycles materials, and was founded by Kisa Sky Shiga.
—Nadja Sayej, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2022
Fanning out like urban guerrillas through Paris’ darkened streets well after midnight, the anti-waste activists shinny up walls and drain pipes, reaching for switches to turn off the lights. Click.
—The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2022
But for sheer novelty in this post-waste world, few companies may top Extract Energy.
—Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2021
For many of them, working at a high-growth company with a feel-good, anti-waste mission had felt like the pinnacle of their working lives.
—Lauren Weber, WSJ, 17 May 2021
The new anti-waste law aims to encourage buyers to repair their devices rather than replace them with new products.
—Chris Smith, BGR, 26 Feb. 2021
To boost that percentage, France passed an anti-waste bill last year mandating that electronics manufacturers make a repairability index visible on their products.
—Maddie Stone, Wired, 20 Feb. 2021
One study shows that restaurants save $7 for every $1 invested in anti-waste methods.
—Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Mar. 2020
Reviving discarded clothing and giving it new life through painting and alterations, artist MI Legget goes against the grain and champions anti-waste values in the industry.
—Erin Parker, Glamour, 11 June 2020
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'waste.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English waste, wast; in sense 1, from Anglo-French wast, from wast, gast, guast, adjective, desolate, waste, from Latin vastus; in other senses, from Middle English wasten to waste — more at vast
Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French waster, gaster, from Latin vastare, from vastus desolate, waste
Adjective
Middle English waste, wast, from Anglo-French wast
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Time Traveler
The first known use of waste was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing waste
Articles Related to waste
Dictionary Entries Near waste
Cite this Entry
“Waste.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waste. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
waste
1 of 3 noun1
a
: a region that has few people or is empty of most signs of life : desert
b
: uncultivated land
2
a
: the act or an instance of wasting
b
: the state of being wasted
3
a
: material left over, rejected, or thrown away
b
: an unwanted product obtained in the course of a manufacturing or chemical process
c
: material (as carbon dioxide in the lungs or urine in the kidneys) produced in and of no further use to the living body
waste
2 of 3 verb
wasted; wasting
1
: to destroy completely
2
: to wear away or grow smaller gradually
3
: to spend carelessly or uselessly : squander
4
: to lose or cause to lose weight, strength, or energy
illness caused her to waste away
Medical Definition
waste
2 of 3 verb
wasted; wasting
: to cause to shrink in physical bulk or strength : emaciate
: to lose weight, strength, or vitality
—often used with away
waste
3 of 3 adjective
: excreted from or stored in inert form in a living body as a by-product of vital activity
waste products
Legal Definition
waste
noun1
: destruction of or damage to property that is caused by the act or omission of one (as a lessee, mortgagor, or life tenant) having a lesser estate and is usually to the injury of another (as an heir, mortgagee, or remainderman) with an interest in the same property
an action for waste
—
ameliorating waste
\
ə-ˈmēl-yə-ˌrā-tiŋ-
\
: waste that leads to improvement of property (as by clearing the way for rebuilding something)
called also ameliorative waste
—
permissive waste
: waste caused by the failure of a tenant to take ordinary or proper care of the property
—
voluntary waste
: waste caused by the intentional commission of a destructive act by a tenant
2
: a reduction of the value of assets (as in a trust) caused by a failure to exercise proper care or sound judgment in managing them
especially
: a transfer of corporate assets (as through excessive executive compensation or a merger) for no legitimate business purpose or for less than what a person of ordinary sound business judgment would consider to be adequate consideration
the essence of a claim of waste of corporate assets is the diversion of corporate assets for improper or unnecessary purposes —Michelson v. Duncan, 407 A.2d 211 (1979)
Michelson v. Duncan, 407 A.2d 211 (1979)
More from Merriam-Webster on waste
Nglish: Translation of waste for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of waste for Arabic Speakers
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