fritter away
phrasal verb
frittered away; frittering away; fritters away
: to spend or use up (something) in a slow and usually foolish way
He frittered the afternoon away.
He frittered away his fortune on gambling.
Examples of fritter away in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Without this hazy atmosphere, Pluto’s volatile glaciers would have encountered the full brunt of the sun and frittered away into oblivion.
—
Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
In a matter of weeks, Trump frittered away his commanding position.
—Brian Bennett, TIME, 11 Sep. 2024
Maximizing impact requires resisting prematurely frittering away U.S. leverage by using financial sector sanctions to manage tensions with China that do not rise to a crisis or conflict threshold.
—Emily Kilcrease, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2024
Instead of an airport lounge, travelers can also fritter away the hours before a flight at a nearby gym, pool, or spa.
—Melanie Lieberman, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2018
Anymore Over the subsequent decades, the United States seemed to fritter away both the goodwill needed to support such efforts and the means to carry them out.
—Paul Poast, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2023
The hedge fund’s manna was slowly being frittered away, a casualty yet again of Dalio’s latest predictions of trouble for the global economy.
—Rob Copeland, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2023
Three weeks on, the Republicans have been frittering away their majority status — a maddening embarrassment to some, democracy in action to others, but not at all how the House is expected to function.
—Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2023
Overwhelmed and exhausted, anxious GOP lawmakers worry their House majority is being frittered away to countless rounds of infighting and some don’t want to reward Jordan’s wing, which sparked the turmoil.
—Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
In a matter of weeks, Trump frittered away his commanding position.
—Brian Bennett, TIME, 11 Sep. 2024
Maximizing impact requires resisting prematurely frittering away U.S. leverage by using financial sector sanctions to manage tensions with China that do not rise to a crisis or conflict threshold.
—Emily Kilcrease, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2024
Instead of an airport lounge, travelers can also fritter away the hours before a flight at a nearby gym, pool, or spa.
—Melanie Lieberman, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2018
Anymore Over the subsequent decades, the United States seemed to fritter away both the goodwill needed to support such efforts and the means to carry them out.
—Paul Poast, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2023
The hedge fund’s manna was slowly being frittered away, a casualty yet again of Dalio’s latest predictions of trouble for the global economy.
—Rob Copeland, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2023
Three weeks on, the Republicans have been frittering away their majority status — a maddening embarrassment to some, democracy in action to others, but not at all how the House is expected to function.
—Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2023
Overwhelmed and exhausted, anxious GOP lawmakers worry their House majority is being frittered away to countless rounds of infighting and some don’t want to reward Jordan’s wing, which sparked the turmoil.
—Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near fritter away
Cite this Entry
“Fritter away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fritter%20away. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share