waste 1 of 3

noun

ˈwāst How to pronounce waste (audio)
Definition of wastenext
1
as in wastefulness
an instance of spending money or resources without care or restraint it seems like a waste to spend my entire paycheck on a bigger TV

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in garbage
discarded or useless material gathered up the waste when he was finished sewing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in desert
land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops an area that was a barren waste after the strip-mining had ended

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in dung
solid matter discharged from an animal's alimentary canal a local ordinance requiring dog owners to properly dispose of their pet's waste

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in expansion
a wide space or area a legendary mariner doomed to sail the watery wastes of the world until Judgment Day

Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in erosion
a gradual weakening, loss, or destruction the slow waste of the once broad beach by the relentless tide

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

waste

2 of 3

verb

1
as in to spend
to use up carelessly he wasted his lottery winnings on booze-soaked nights with gold diggers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of one country attempting to waste another

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of endless months of inactivity wasted him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

waste

3 of 3

adjective

as in barren
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation waste acreage that was not fit for anything

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb waste contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of waste are despoil, devastate, pillage, ravage, and sack. While all these words mean "to lay waste by plundering or destroying," waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action.

years of drought had wasted the area

When would despoil be a good substitute for waste?

In some situations, the words despoil and waste are roughly equivalent. However, despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction.

the Nazis despoiled the art museums

When is it sensible to use devastate instead of waste?

Although the words devastate and waste have much in common, devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area.

an earthquake devastated the city

How are the words pillage and sack related as synonyms of waste?

Pillage implies ruthless plundering at will but without the completeness suggested by sack.

settlements pillaged by Vikings

When is ravage a more appropriate choice than waste?

The words ravage and waste are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction.

a hurricane ravaged the coast

In what contexts can sack take the place of waste?

The synonyms sack and waste are sometimes interchangeable, but sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place.

barbarians sacked ancient Rome

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of waste
Noun
People on Dialysis Dialysis, which takes over the kidneys' functions of filtering wastes and fluids, cleaning the blood of people with end-stage kidney disease, can remove protective HBV antibodies along with the waste. — James Myhre & Dennis Sifris, Md, Verywell Health, 25 Mar. 2025 The unofficial government entity known as DOGE has been tasked by the White House to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government, including at the Social Security Administration, which provides benefit payments to millions of Americans each month. — Lorie Konish, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
Attending the wrong events can waste valuable time and resources as well as draw the ire of shareholders, but choosing the right conferences can yield high returns in terms of deal-making, financing and visibility. — Anthony Milewski, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025 Cassidy strenuously urged Bhattacharya not to waste NIH dollars reexamining whether there's a link between standard childhood vaccines and autism. — CBS News, 25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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 See All Example Sentences for waste
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waste
  1. garbage
  2. desert
  3. dung
  4. expansion
  5. erosion
  6. spend
  7. ruin
  8. weaken
Noun
  • The organization also sampled 25 different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organic compounds that form when oil, wood or garbage burns.
    — Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Town Councilman Tim Clayton said the new fee, which will be charged to residential customers, will be effective April 1 and is part of a contractual agreement with Republic Services, the town’s garbage/recycling carrier.
    — Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025
Definition of garbage
Noun
  • In addition, strong winds over desert areas could result in briefly lowered visibilities to well under a mile at times in blowing dust or blowing sand.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2025
  • That's not to say that all planets that pass through the hot Neptune desert lose their gaseous envelopes in this same way.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Definition of desert
Noun
  • Another 18 dung dots decorated the cabinets, floors and shelves.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
  • There’s time for kids to inspect elephant dung, find bones, collect guinea fowl feathers, and make castings of lion paw prints, plus let loose in waterfalls, try catch-and-release fishing, and learn to throw spears.
    — Kathryn Romeyn, AFAR Media, 11 Feb. 2025
Definition of dung
Noun
  • The centrepiece of this involved an expansion of the East Stand, adding 8,000 seats, which would be topped by a bubble-like roof.
    — Tom Burrows, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
  • For years, South Florida advocates have pushed for an expansion of the status, concerned that many Nicaraguans in the U.S. would be left with no other forms of relief from deportation if the parole program was revoked.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2025
Definition of expansion
Noun
  • Varma will explore the cultural underpinnings of Hindu nationalism and offer some examples from Kashmir – a region claimed by India, Pakistan and China – to examine erosions of India’s democratic foundations, the news release noted.
    — News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025
  • The erosion of production in California can be attributed to a confluence of factors.
    — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
Definition of erosion
Verb
  • Last summer, West Ham spent more than £120m on a total of nine players.
    — Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
  • But in real life, the British actor doesn’t spend much time thinking about money.
    — Nicolas Vega, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2025
Definition of spend
Verb
  • However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
    — Simone Jasper, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025
  • An attorney representing former Santa Clara Vice Mayor Anthony Becker is asking a county judge to give the ex-official probation — not jail time — arguing that his conviction late last year has already damaged his reputation and ruined his career, according to a new court filing.
    — Grace Hase, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of ruin
Verb
  • But that progress stalled out around the turn of the year, which weakened the case for further rate cuts and ultimately prompted the Fed to stand pat in January.
    — Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025
  • More broadly, consumer sentiment has declined and retail sales growth has weakened, reflecting the uncertainty of customers over where the economy is headed.
    — Harry Holzer, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of weaken

Phrases Containing waste

Browse Nearby Words

wastages
waste
waste (away)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Waste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waste. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on waste

Nglish: Translation of waste for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

'When Pigs Fly' and Other Barnyard Idioms

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things
See More

Popular

See More

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

'When Pigs Fly' and Other Barnyard Idioms
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
kestrel
Name That Bird Quiz Are you as wise as an owl or just another birdbrain?
See All