: loss, decrease, or destruction of something (as by use, decay, erosion, or leakage)
especially
: wasteful or avoidable loss of something valuable
Examples of wastage in a Sentence
the slash-and-burn wastage of the surrounding countryside as the army made its way to the sea
Recent Examples on the Web
And that's a very efficient way to approach shaping biscuits because there are no offcuts and there's no wastage.
—
Emily Elias, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Mar. 2026
But if the current isn’t evenly distributed, this can lead to uneven coating, which causes nickel wastage and thicker-than-needed layers.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
Despite this administration’s claim of streamlining the government to make its operations more efficient, a range of recent federal policies have, in fact, exacerbated food wastage.
—Tevis Garrett Graddy-Lovelace, The Conversation, 26 Nov. 2025
The modern speed of market disruptions requires agile technology business management through frameworks like FinOps that reduce wastage while delivering value.
—Tipu Usha Vaithee Swaran, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wastage
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Emily Elias, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Mar. 2026
But if the current isn’t evenly distributed, this can lead to uneven coating, which causes nickel wastage and thicker-than-needed layers.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
Despite this administration’s claim of streamlining the government to make its operations more efficient, a range of recent federal policies have, in fact, exacerbated food wastage.
—Tevis Garrett Graddy-Lovelace, The Conversation, 26 Nov. 2025
The modern speed of market disruptions requires agile technology business management through frameworks like FinOps that reduce wastage while delivering value.
—Tipu Usha Vaithee Swaran, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wastage
Cite this Entry
“Wastage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wastage. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wastage
noun
wast·age
ˈwā-stij 
: loss, decrease, or destruction of something (as by use, decay, erosion, or leakage)
especially
: wasteful or avoidable loss of something valuable
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