FRITTERING (AWAY) Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words

frittering (away)

verb

present participle of fritter (away)

as in spending

to use up carelessly quit frittering away the afternoon playing video games and get some housework done!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for frittering (away)

Verb

After arriving at the hospital and spending nearly an hour with hospital staff filling out paperwork, I was handed another form accepting financial responsibility.

— Scott Levenson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Teams are tight-knit, spending practically every moment together from Spring Training through October in what can be described as a 162-game marathon.

— Don Riddell, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of spending

Verb

Expect some traffic back-ups at the beginning and end of the game as parking lots empty and drivers hit the road in what is a construction zone on highways running through downtown.

— Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
In fact, the Antichrist and eschatology are arguably the central religious impulse running through American Christianity, and that focus distinguishes the US from most other churches and cultures around the globe.

— David Gibson, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of running through

Verb

Atlanta reached the Finals for the first time since 2013 and after losing in its previous three appearances in the championship round, will be trying for their first as well.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Tim Boyd San Juan Capistrano I’m sure there are Dodgers fans unhappy about losing to the Brewers.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of losing

Verb

Many butterfly and moth species lay pupae in leaf litter, so throwing away leaves each fall may be getting rid of these beneficial insects, too.

— Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
Advertisement For her, the environmental cost of throwing away food matters more than the bag used to save it.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of throwing away

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

frittering

frittering (away)

fritters

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Frittering (away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frittering%20%28away%29. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of frittering (away)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

asunder

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes