fritter

1 of 2

noun

frit·​ter ˈfri-tər How to pronounce fritter (audio)
: a small mass of fried or sautéed batter often containing fruit or meat

fritter

2 of 2

verb

frittered; frittering; fritters

transitive verb

1
: to spend or waste bit by bit, on trifles, or without commensurate return
usually used with away
2
: to break into small fragments
fritterer noun

Examples of fritter in a Sentence

Noun she loves eating corn fritters with maple syrup
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Because of its neutral flavor, the field fritter also seemed to pair better with the five sauces that Doherty set out, none of which were traditional hummus. BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2023 Pair with apple cider donuts or pear fritters for a sweet send-off! Sarah Zlotnick, Country Living, 22 Aug. 2023 Quarry House Tavern gets name-checked at happy hour, when Charley Prime Foods serves the dive’s hamburger, and Little Coco’s, whose former chef de cuisine, Russell Pike, plays that role here, is acknowledged with fontina-and-chive fritters along with a handful of housemade pastas. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 7 July 2023 As attendees conversed, waiters circulated with zucchini fritters, lobster bites, and trays of Wölffer wine before a dinner brimming with fresh heirloom tomatoes, burrata, pearl couscous, and a vegetable Napoleon. Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 30 Aug. 2023 An easy train ride took me to Brixton on a Sunday afternoon to enjoy brunch with my friends at The Rum Kitchen, a Caribbean restaurant with the best sweetcorn fritters and spicy wings. Christa Eduafo, refinery29.com, 29 Aug. 2023 Located on Grand Cul de Sac lagoon in the northeast part of St. Barts, Ti ’Corail serves simple, local cuisine — including the best fish fritters on the island — in an utterly idyllic setting. Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2023 Specialty items, including apple fritters and cinnamon rolls, start at $3.00. Haley Laurence | Hlaurence@al.com, al, 20 July 2023 Pampas Argentine Gastropub Appetizers like corn fritters, entrees like dulce de leche pancakes and sides like manchego risotto will be served. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2023
Verb
Worse, her family has moved from Manhattan to New Jersey, leaving behind her beloved grandmother (Kathy Bates, going full Auntie Mame) to fritter her energy on crossword puzzles. Amy Nicholson, Variety, 20 Apr. 2023 The ads cast several of the area’s Republican House candidates as tools of the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries, and criticized another for allegedly using his clout as mayor to push his local schools to fritter away money on an ice rink. Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, 29 Sep. 2020 Don’t fritter away your stalling. Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2021 The few hundred million euros that PSG may fritter away if Mbappe leaves next year for free is just the cost of doing business. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 31 Aug. 2021 That was when the Bulls jumped out to a 19-point lead, only to fritter it away in a span of five minutes as the Clippers went on a 23-4 run. Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Feb. 2023 After his first midterm election in 1994, Bill Clinton was seen as a colossal bust — the first Democrat in almost a half-century to fritter away both houses of Congress. Matt Bai, Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2023 But the real victims of the climate crisis will not be white Americans such as Sundog, who can afford to fritter their days wandering the woods. Outside Online, 11 July 2021 But Broadway stardom of his caliber is too precious to fritter away on a star turn. Charles McNultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fritter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English fritour, from Anglo-French friture, from Vulgar Latin *frictura, from Latin frictus, past participle of frigere to roast

Verb

fritter, noun (fragment, shred)

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1728, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fritter was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near fritter

Cite this Entry

“Fritter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fritter. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

fritter

1 of 2 noun
frit·​ter ˈfrit-ər How to pronounce fritter (audio)
: a small lump of fried batter often containing fruit or meat

fritter

2 of 2 verb
: to spend or use up bit by bit especially on worthless things
usually used with away
frittered away his savings
fritterer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on fritter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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