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
  • None of this happened by accident, and the proof is in the long list of former Dell competitors from its founding era, who have faded into oblivion.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The sense of historic possibility that once made the jihadi movement so threatening to Western countries has faded.
    — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of fade
Verb
  • Dairy cows are producing less milk and birthing fewer or weakened calves.
    — Vivian Song, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Though Hurricane Marie continues to weaken in the southern Pacific Ocean — and is expected to remain hundreds of miles off the Southern California coastline — the region can still expect to feel some effects from the storm over the next few days.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of weaken
Verb
  • Slavia Prague The Czech champions briefly threatened an upset against Barcelona in the league phase last season, going ahead in sub-zero temperatures in Prague before the Catalan side turned up the heat to win 4-2.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Okamoto went 4 for 5 with a double and broke a 3-all tie in the seventh with an RBI single.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of go
Verb
  • If your couch cushions are sagging and the springs are worn, use this 62%-off sofa deal as an excuse to upgrade ahead of hosting season.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Well-hydrated skin tends to look plumper and smoother, which makes fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging less noticeable.
    — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of sag
Verb
  • Like at Brentford’s Gtech Stadium, Spurs failed to win with the first contact from a deep corner, allowing the ball to be headed across their penalty area to an unmarked Yoane Wissa, who acrobatically converted past Antonin Kinsky.
    — Elias Burke, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • For example, an enterprise may deploy an AI customer-service agent that achieves high technical accuracy, yet still fail because customers must repeat information, escalation paths are unclear and employees frequently override recommendations.
    — Ashwin Gaidhani, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of fail
Verb
  • In 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines, killing more than 4,300 people in the world's deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Once lake levels are no longer safe for the largest ships to pass, the Panama Canal Authority, the agency in charge of the canal, begins to restrict their maximum draft, meaning how deep into the water the ships sink when loaded.
    — Steven Paton, The Conversation, 10 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 11 Sep. 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 patina

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All