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1. Dictionary

   waste

   /weɪst/

   verb

   • 1. use or expend carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose: "we can't afford to waste electricity" Similar squanderfritter awaymisspendmisusespend recklesslythrow awaylavishbe wasteful withdissipatespend like waterthrow around like confettigo throughrun throughexhaustdraindepleteburn upuse upconsumeinformal:blowsplurgeOpposite conserve
   • ▪ expend on an unappreciative recipient: "her small talk was wasted on this guest"
   • ▪ fail to make full or good use of: "we're wasted in this job"
   • ▪ deliberately dispose of (surplus stock): "20% of stock will need to be wasted"
   • 2. (of a person or a part of the body) become progressively weaker and more emaciated: "she was visibly wasting away" Similar grow weakwitheratrophybecome emaciatedshrivel upshrinkdecaydeclinewiltfadeflagdeterioratedegeneraterotmoulderlanguishbe abandonedbe neglectedbe forgottenbe disregardedOpposite flourishthrive
   • ▪ make progressively weaker and more emaciated: archaic "these symptoms wasted the patients very much"
   • 3. devastate or ruin (a place): literary "he seized their cattle and wasted their country"
   • ▪ kill or severely injure (someone): informal North American "I saw them waste the guy I worked for" Similar murderkilldo away withassassinateliquidatedo to deatheliminateterminatedispatchfinish offput to deathexecuteslaughterbutchermassacrewipe outdestroyannihilateeradicateexterminateextirpatedecimatemow downshoot downcut downcut to piecesinformal:bump offpolish offdo inknock offtoptake outcroakstifficeoffrub outwhacksmokeliterary:slay
   • 4. (of time) pass away: literary "the years were wasting"

   adjective

   • 1. (of a material, substance, or by-product) eliminated or discarded as no longer useful or required after the completion of a process: "ensure that waste materials are disposed of responsibly" Similar unwantedexcesssuperfluousleft overscrapextraunuseduselessworthlessunproductiveunusableunprofitableOpposite useful
   • 2. (of an area of land, typically an urban one) not used, cultivated, or built on: "a patch of waste ground" Similar uncultivatedbarrendesertunproductiveinfertileunfruitfularidbaredesolatesolitarylonelyemptyvoiduninhabitedunpopulatedwildOpposite cultivated

   noun

   • 1. an act or instance of using or expending something carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose: "it's a waste of time trying to argue with him" Similar squanderingdissipationfrittering awaymisspendingmisusemisapplicationmisemploymentabuseprodigalityextravagancewastefulnesslavishnessunthriftiness
   • ▪ the gradual loss or diminution of something: archaic "he was pale and weak from waste of blood"
   • 2. unwanted or unusable material, substances, or by-products: "nuclear waste" Similar refuselitterdebrisdrossjunkdetritusscrapdregsleavingsremainsscrapsoffscouringssewageeffluenteffluviumrubbishgarbagetrash
   • 3. a large area of barren, typically uninhabited land: "the icy wastes of the Antarctic" Similar desertwastelandwildernessbarrennessemptinessvastnesswilds
   • 4. damage to an estate caused by an act or by neglect, especially by a life tenant.

   Word Origin Middle English: from Old Northern French wast(e) (noun), waster (verb), based on Latin vastus ‘unoccupied, uncultivated’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. wasteless adjective

   Scrabble Points: 8

   • W

     4

   • A

     1

   • S

     1

   • T

     1

   • E

     1

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2. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishWASTE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

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   WASTE definition: 1. an unnecessary or wrong use of money, substances, time, energy, abilities, etc.: 2. to not be…. Learn more.

3. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › wasteWaste Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › waste

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   The meaning of WASTE is a sparsely settled or barren region : desert. How to use waste in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Waste.

4. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishWASTE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

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   If you waste something such as time, money, or energy, you use too much of it doing something that is not important or necessary, or is unlikely to succeed. There could be many reasons and he was not going to waste time speculating on them.

5. en.wikipedia.org › wiki › WasteWaste - Wikipedia

   en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Waste

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   Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor economic value.

6. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-englishWASTE | meaning - Cambridge Learner's Dictionary - Cambridge ...

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-english

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   WASTE definition: 1. a bad use of something useful, such as time or money, when there is a limited amount of it: 2…. Learn more.

7. www.oed.com › dictionary › waste_adjwaste, adj. meanings, etymology and more - Oxford English ...

   www.oed.com › dictionary › waste_adj

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   waste, adj. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary. waste adjective. Meaning & use. 1. Of land: 1.a. c1290–. Uncultivated and uninhabited or sparsely inhabited. Sometimes with stronger implication: Incapable of habitation or cultivation; producing little or no vegetation; barren, desert. See also wasteland n. c1290.

8. www.dictionary.com › browse › wasteWASTE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › waste

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   Waste definition: to consume, spend, or employ uselessly or without adequate return; use to no avail or profit; squander. See examples of WASTE used in a sentence.

9. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryWASTE definition | Cambridge Essential American Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

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   WASTE meaning: 1. a bad use of something useful, such as time or money: 2. things that are not wanted: 3. to use…. Learn more.

10. www.britannica.com › dictionary › wasteWaste Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary

    www.britannica.com › dictionary › waste

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    WASTE meaning: 1 : loss of something valuable that occurs because too much of it is being used or because it is being used in a way that is not necessary or effective; 2 : an action or use that results in the unnecessary loss of something valuable

11. www.oed.com › dictionary › waste_nwaste, n. meanings, etymology and more - Oxford English ...

    www.oed.com › dictionary › waste_n

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    waste noun. Meaning & use. I. Waste or desert land. I.1.a. c1200–. Uninhabited (or sparsely inhabited) and uncultivated country; a wild and desolate region, a desert, wilderness. Somewhat rhetorical. c1200. Ac seðen hie henen wenden, atlai þai lond unwend and bicam waste, and was roted oueral and swo bicam wildernesse. Trinity College Homilies 163.