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
Veja doesn’t woo celebrities with freebies, dole out discounts or fritter away cash on advertising.
—
Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 4 Apr. 2025
Warren estimates that cuts to this program could save up to $400 million from being frittered away each year.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 23 Jan. 2025
Within a few weeks, any hopes of winning La Liga had frittered away and Ancelotti’s team were on course for the title.
—Dermot Corrigan, The Athletic, 19 Dec. 2024
Aside from his memory—and the iconic statue of him outside the United Center—the basketball Hall of Famer’s presence is all but frittered away from Windy City.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Maybe anything happens other than frittering away time on the clock and ending the game with an unused timeout.
—Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 29 Nov. 2024
Virginia Tech got the ball with 1:47 left and two timeouts and proceeded to run a clinic on how to fritter away time and opportunity on a final drive.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 28 Sep. 2024
The bad news is that the season is already 14 percent over, and the Giants have spent most of it frittering away leads.
—Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 23 Apr. 2024
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
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Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 4 Apr. 2025
Warren estimates that cuts to this program could save up to $400 million from being frittered away each year.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 23 Jan. 2025
Within a few weeks, any hopes of winning La Liga had frittered away and Ancelotti’s team were on course for the title.
—Dermot Corrigan, The Athletic, 19 Dec. 2024
Aside from his memory—and the iconic statue of him outside the United Center—the basketball Hall of Famer’s presence is all but frittered away from Windy City.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Maybe anything happens other than frittering away time on the clock and ending the game with an unused timeout.
—Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 29 Nov. 2024
Virginia Tech got the ball with 1:47 left and two timeouts and proceeded to run a clinic on how to fritter away time and opportunity on a final drive.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 28 Sep. 2024
The bad news is that the season is already 14 percent over, and the Giants have spent most of it frittering away leads.
—Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 23 Apr. 2024
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
Cite this Entry
“Fritter away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fritter%20away. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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