waste 1 of 4

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as in desert
land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops an area that was a barren waste after the strip-mining had ended

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in dung
solid matter discharged from an animal's alimentary canal a local ordinance requiring dog owners to properly dispose of their pet's waste

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in erosion
a gradual weakening, loss, or destruction the slow waste of the once broad beach by the relentless tide

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

waste

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verb (1)

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waste

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adjective

waste (away)

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verb (2)

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of waste
Noun
Finding this amino acid in water indicates the presence of fecal coliform bacteria from animal and human waste, which is hard to detect by itself. Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025 But isn’t any season without a title with Jokic a waste? Troy Renck, Denver Post, 22 May 2025
Verb
The Guardians have wasted a lot of quality starting pitching lately. Zack Meisel, New York Times, 22 May 2025 For his part, Kendrick wasted no opportunity to double down on the stage presence and masterful camera work that captivated the live audience and at-home viewers of 2024’s Juneteenth concert, Ken & Friends – the Pop Out as well as the Superbowl in New Orleans earlier this year. Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2025
Adjective
The new anti-waste law aims to encourage buyers to repair their devices rather than replace them with new products. Chris Smith, BGR, 26 Feb. 2021 To boost that percentage, France passed an anti-waste bill last year mandating that electronics manufacturers make a repairability index visible on their products. Maddie Stone, Wired, 20 Feb. 2021 See All Example Sentences for waste
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waste
Noun
  • Allegiance The Resistance, led by General Leia Organa, regroups on the garbage planet Anoat, while Finn and Poe go on a secret mission to retrieve a weapons cache to increase their dwindling arsenal.
    Nick Romano, EW.com, 25 May 2025
  • Duluth, Minnesota, has installed effective and unobtrusive signs at each beach entrance next to a garbage receptacle.
    John Michael Pierobon, Sun Sentinel, 25 May 2025
Noun
  • On Friday, temperatures in Southern California are expected to range from eight to 16 degrees above normal, with highs in the 90s to just above 100 degrees across the valleys, lower mountains and deserts, according to the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office.
    Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2025
  • Marvel at one of Africa’s most compelling regions with 7 Wonders in 7 Days at Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, an intimate, seven-night journey to the Namib, the world’s oldest living desert.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • But be careful not to hit any of the rodents or the rodent dung.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025
  • The dung heap is being dismantled by a scrum of hermit crabs.
    Kevin Gepford, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The 54-year-old already was overseeing a $60 billion expansion of the parks business before Abu Dhabi — Disney’s first new park since 2016 — was announced in May.
    Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2025
  • The two-story, 135,000-square-foot expansion, designed by Generator Studio, will double the size of the facility and is expected to bring up to 1.5 million people through its doors annually, according to team estimates.
    Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • In 1950, the wall was reconstructed to control erosion and create artificial beaches.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 23 May 2025
  • Concrete sea walls, like the one proposed for a 257-foot stretch in Half Moon Bay, have been proposed to prevent further erosion along the coast, though the proposals have faced local opposition from residents.
    Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • The festival was deliberately planned for the barren weeks in June after college students left and before the summer concert and festival season kicked in.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2025
  • The Bureau’s new research station on Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano, with its high altitude and barren landscape, would prove to be the ideal collection spot.
    Ashley Braun, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • With a $400 million luxury jet waiting in the wings and a $37 million check in hand − thanks to settlements from Meta and ABC− President Donald Trump's future presidential library plan is ready for take off.
    Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 26 May 2025
  • Two suspects have been arrested and charged in connection with the kidnapping and torture of a cryptocurrency business partner in a SoHo luxury apartment in New York City, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and local media reports.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
Noun
  • Fortunately, the lighter rainfall levels have decreased the risk of a debris flow taking place in the Eaton and Palisades fire burn scars, a possibility forecasters warned of Monday.
    Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025
  • Remove brush and debris piles from around the home.
    Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Waste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waste. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.

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