1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

waste (away)

verb

Definition of waste (away)next
as in to fade
to lose bodily strength or vigor the tuberculosis resulted in her simply wasting away

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waste (away)
  1. fade
  2. weaken
  3. go
  4. sag
  5. fail
  6. sink
Verb
  • But hopes of winning the two states have been fading, and the GOP is increasingly focused on playing defense elsewhere with five weeks until the midterm elections.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The fading studio carries a note of melancholy about the state of the film industry as AI advances.
    — Jenny S. Li, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of fade
Verb
  • Higher borrowing costs can eventually weaken loan demand and increase stress among borrowers.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Recent polling supports the article’s claim that Latino support has weakened amid concerns about inflation, immigration enforcement, jobs and wages.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of weaken
Verb
  • As previously reported, the Laneway shows in Perth and Adelaide have been scaled back and will go ahead as sideshows.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Many of those conversations went viral or became news in their own right.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of go
Verb
  • According to the brand, the serum can start to visibly tighten sagging skin in as little as two weeks.
    — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Hook the mask onto your ear to take advantage of the lifting design that targets dry, sagging mature skin.
    — Essence Wiley, InStyle, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of sag
Verb
  • Asif said the alliance reflected a belief among its members that existing security arrangements had failed to protect Gulf countries as the conflict involving Iran spread across the region.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The government, unable and unwilling to check their most voracious citizens and appetites, failed to tame the frontier.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of fail
Verb
  • Slowly, the giant claw, still clutching the sparrow, sank into the river, the tips of its pincers slipping beneath the surface with a plop.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • This includes German U-boats sunk during World War II and cruise ships that sank and have never been found.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of sink
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

waste
waste (away)
wasted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Waste (away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waste%20%28away%29. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of slew

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All