waste/weɪst/USA pronunciationv.,wast•ed, wast•ing,n., adj. v.
to use up or spend to no profit; squander:[~ + object]wasting money; wasting time.
to fail to use:[~ + object]Never waste an opportunity.
to (cause to) become feeble, weak, or thin: [~ + object]He was wasted by disease.[no object]Every day the patient seemed to waste away.
Slang Terms[~ + object]to murder.
n.
an act or instance of wasting: [countable; usually singular]a waste of money.[uncountable]to cut down on waste.
a devastated area, or an area that is unsuitable or considered unsuitable for living, as a desert:[countable]the frozen wastes of the tundra.
something left over, esp. after some process has been performed and something more valuable removed: [countable]factory wastes.[uncountable]the disposal of radioactive waste.
left over; extra and not necessary:waste materials; waste paper.
Physiologyunused by or unusable to a living thing.
designed to receive or carry away waste.
Idioms
Idiomsgo to waste, to be wasted, rather than used:This food will go to waste if you don't eat it.
Idiomslay waste to, [~ + object] to devastate; destroy.
waste is a verb and a noun, wasteful is an adjective:He wasted too much time trying to fix the radio. It was a waste of time. He is wasteful when it comes to using paper.
to consume, spend, or employ uselessly or without adequate return; use to no avail or profit; squander:to waste money; to waste words.
to fail or neglect to use:to waste an opportunity.
to destroy or consume gradually; wear away:The waves waste the rock of the shore.
to wear down or reduce in bodily substance, health, or strength; emaciate; enfeeble:to be wasted by disease or hunger.
to destroy, devastate, or ruin:a country wasted by a long and futile war.
Slang Termsto kill or murder.
v.i.
to be consumed, spent, or employed uselessly or without giving full value or being fully utilized or appreciated.
to become gradually consumed, used up, or worn away:A candle wastes in burning.
to become physically worn; lose flesh or strength; become emaciated or enfeebled.
to diminish gradually; dwindle, as wealth, power, etc.:The might of England is wasting.
to pass gradually, as time.
n.
useless consumption or expenditure; use without adequate return; an act or instance of wasting:The project was a waste of material, money, time, and energy.
neglect, instead of use:waste of opportunity.
gradual destruction, impairment, or decay:the waste and repair of bodily tissue.
devastation or ruin, as from war or fire.
a region or place devastated or ruined:The forest fire left a blackened waste.
anything unused, unproductive, or not properly utilized.
an uncultivated tract of land.
a wild region or tract of land; desolate country, desert, or the like.
an empty, desolate, or dreary tract or extent:a waste of snow.
anything left over or superfluous, as excess material or by-products, not of use for the work in hand:a fortune made in salvaging factory wastes.
remnants, as from the working of cotton, used for wiping machinery, absorbing oil, etc.
Geography[Phys. Geog.]material derived by mechanical and chemical disintegration of rock, as the detritus transported by streams, rivers, etc.
garbage; refuse.
Physiologywastes, excrement.
go to waste, to fail to be used or consumed; be wasted:She hates to see good food go to waste.
lay waste, to devastate; destroy; ruin:Forest fires lay waste thousands of acres yearly.
adj.
not used or in use:waste energy; waste talents.
(of land, regions, etc.) wild, desolate, barren, or uninhabited; desert.
(of regions, towns, etc.) in a state of desolation and ruin, as from devastation or decay.
left over or superfluous:to utilize waste products of manufacture.
having served or fulfilled a purpose; no longer of use.
rejected as useless or worthless; refuse:to salvage waste products.
Physiologypertaining to material unused by or unusable to the organism.
designed or used to receive, hold, or carry away excess, superfluous, used, or useless material (often in combination):a waste pipe; waste container.
[Obs.]excessive; needless.
Latin vāstum, noun, nominal use of neuter of vāstus, partly derivative of waster; Old North French w-, Old French gu- by influence of cognate with Frankish *wōsti desolate (cognate with Old High German wuosti)
Old North French wast(e) (Old French g(u)aste), partly
Latin vāstāre, derivative of vāstus; (noun, nominal) Middle English
Old North French waster (Old French g(u)aster)
Latin vāstus desolate; (verb, verbal) Middle English
Old North French wast (Old French g(u)ast)
1150–1200; 1960–65 for def. 6; (adjective, adjectival) Middle English