Waste - definition, pronunciation, transcription

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Amer.  |weɪst|  American pronunciation of the word waste
Brit.  |weɪst|  British pronunciation of the word waste

noun

- any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
they collect the waste once a week
much of the waste material is carried off in the sewers
- useless or profitless activity; using or expending or consuming thoughtlessly or carelessly (syn: dissipation, wastefulness)
if the effort brings no compensating gain it is a waste
- the trait of wasting resources (syn: thriftlessness, wastefulness)
a life characterized by thriftlessness and waste
the wastefulness of missed opportunities
- an uninhabited wilderness that is worthless for cultivation (syn: barren, wasteland)
the trackless wastes of the desert
- (law) reduction in the value of an estate caused by act or neglect

verb

- spend thoughtlessly; throw away (syn: blow, squander)
He wasted his inheritance on his insincere friends
- use inefficiently or inappropriately
waste heat
waste a joke on an unappreciative audience
- get rid of
We waste the dirty water by channeling it into the sewer
- run off as waste (syn: run off)
The water wastes back into the ocean
- get rid of (someone who may be a threat) by killing (syn: do in, knock off, liquidate, neutralize)
- spend extravagantly (syn: consume, squander, ware)
waste not, want not
- lose vigor, health, or flesh, as through grief (syn: languish)
- cause to grow thin or weak (syn: emaciate, macerate)
- cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly (syn: desolate, devastate, ravage, scourge)
The enemy lay waste to the countryside after the invasion
- become physically weaker (syn: rot)

adjective

- located in a dismal or remote area; desolate (syn: godforsaken, wild)
waste places

Extra examples

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.

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.

...waste acreage that was not fit for anything...

All his efforts were wasted.

He was not going to waste time.

I decided not to waste money on a hotel.

Word forms

verb
I/you/we/they: waste
he/she/it: wastes
present participle: wasting
past tense: wasted
past participle: wasted
noun
singular: waste
plural: wastes
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