fritter

1 of 2

noun

frit·​ter ˈfri-tər 

: 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

intransitive verb

: dissipate, dwindle

fritterer

ˈfri-tər-ər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• cake
• patty
• pattie

Verb

• spend
• trifle (away)
• lose

Examples of fritter in a Sentence

Noun

she loves eating corn fritters with maple syrup

Verb

quit frittering away the afternoon playing video games and get some housework done!

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For Caribbean food, head to O’Niel Caribbean Kitchen, where treats like saltfish fritters or balchi fish balls are worth the inevitably long waits for a table. —Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 20 Oct. 2025

The bakery also makes apple fritters, croissant doughnuts and wheat-free doughnuts and serves Equator coffee. —Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2025

Verb

New York boasted a 96.6 percent chance to make the playoffs on Sept. 5, but have frittered that cushion away. —Sam Blum, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025

Third-year quarterback Bryce Young led a touchdown drive and the defense looked good in limited work before the reserves frittered it all away. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2025

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

Phrases Containing fritter

• fritter away

Rhymes for fritter

• bitter
• critter
• fitter
• glitter
• hitter
• jitter
• knitter
• litter
• quitter
• ritter
• splitter
• titter

Kids Definition

fritter

1 of 2 noun

frit·​ter ˈfrit-ər 

: 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

-ər-ər 

noun