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
Mostly a bunch of early postseason exits, and a team this year spending the final days of the season trying to make the playoffs after frittering away a big lead to the Philadelphia Phillies.
—
Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Such a deal would make diplomatic history; Israel and Syria are historic enemies, having fought numerous wars against each other, and a previous attempt to strike a peace agreement between the two by the Bill Clinton administration ultimately frittered away.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
In the deciding tiebreak, having frittered away an earlier chance to serve out the match, Vavassori cranked serves and crushed overheads with primal grunts.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Too many Americans have taken the benefits of the maritime order for granted and harped on its imperfections, frittering away their many geographic and historical advantages in the process.
—S. C. M. Paine, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
To entertain a short, albeit deceptive ceasefire on American terms would contradict the urgency of that false story, and risk undermining the skimpy morale of his troops, whose lives his commanders often fritter away in brutal, frontal assaults.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 July 2025
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Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Such a deal would make diplomatic history; Israel and Syria are historic enemies, having fought numerous wars against each other, and a previous attempt to strike a peace agreement between the two by the Bill Clinton administration ultimately frittered away.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
In the deciding tiebreak, having frittered away an earlier chance to serve out the match, Vavassori cranked serves and crushed overheads with primal grunts.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Too many Americans have taken the benefits of the maritime order for granted and harped on its imperfections, frittering away their many geographic and historical advantages in the process.
—S. C. M. Paine, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
To entertain a short, albeit deceptive ceasefire on American terms would contradict the urgency of that false story, and risk undermining the skimpy morale of his troops, whose lives his commanders often fritter away in brutal, frontal assaults.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fritter away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fritter%20away. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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