wastes 1 of 2

Definition of wastesnext
plural of waste
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2
as in deserts
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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4
as in erosions
a gradual weakening, loss, or destruction the slow waste of the once broad beach by the relentless tide

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

wastes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of waste
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2
as in destroys
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of one country attempting to waste another

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3

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 wastes
Noun
Liquid and gaseous wastes are primarily regulated under pollution-control laws. Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 May 2026 Netflix‘s latest action extravaganza wastes zero time in getting to the good stuff, so this review won’t either. Pete Hammond, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2026 This digital commute creates heat and wastes power. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Mar. 2026 Other medications act like poison, killing kidney tubule cells, which help to filter wastes and reabsorb nutrients. Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026 Watering between 10 am and 4 pm wastes water; most of it evaporates before reaching roots. Kate McKenna, The Spruce, 5 Mar. 2026 Women and children especially turned to wastes to enrich the family diet with small game, birds, fruit, mushrooms, and nuts. Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026 Each unsuccessful treatment takes, and wastes, precious time. Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 18 Feb. 2026 The structure of geopolymers can also be designed to act as adsorbents, attracting toxic metals in wastewater and capturing and storing radioactive wastes. Alcina Johnson Sudagar, The Conversation, 12 Feb. 2026
Verb
Fix the part that wastes the most energy first. Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2026 Each conversion slows the system and wastes energy. Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 16 May 2026 Miraculously, no one is hurt, but Mariam wastes no time marshaling them into cars to head to her home across town, away from the blast zone. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026 This requires drivers to go to the nearest station, which wastes a lot of time for both drivers and officers. Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2026 Why do Californians, most of whom also believe the state wastes taxpayer money anyway, support the BWT? Robertas Bakula, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026 Watering for too long, at the wrong time of day, or incorrectly costs money and wastes a precious resource. Lauren David, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2026 War wastes innocent lives, trillions of dollars and time better spent on, for example, global climate change and the necessary global cooperation needed to address it. Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026 Traditional manufacturing of refractory metals wastes up to 95% of the raw material through machining – removing unwanted material to create the precise shape – but 3D printing can bring that figure close to zero. Vitor Rielli, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wastes
Noun
  • The chef Eric Ripert and his partner, Maguy Le Coze, understand that space and time are as much luxuries as the commitment to craft and decades of dedication that give each plate here a consummate gleam.
    Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
  • Our household had no luxuries, no snack foods, no desserts, no popular culture except what came from the AM radio, and only a few appliances, including a washer but no dryer.
    Nicholas Dawidoff, New Yorker, 10 May 2026
Noun
  • Like his ancestors, once known as prairie wolves, as song dogs, as tricksters and gods, who emerged from the deserts and high plains.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
  • However, lawns don't have to be ecological deserts.
    Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 May 2026
Noun
  • Encounters with whales, dolphins and penguins awaited; landscapes of icy expanses, towering cliffs and rolling green hills beckoned.
    Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
  • This former mining hub with a population of about 170 is sandwiched between the vast expanses of Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park.
    Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • He’s known for building intentional cracks and erosions into his works, which often reveal an interior geology of materials like crystals or gears, and more recently, labyrinth staircases populated with small figures, not unlike a surreal antique dollhouse.
    Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 11 Mar. 2026
  • These erosions leak into other areas of law.
    Emily Galvin Almanza, Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Research from It’s Time To Log Off found that the average person spends one full day each week online, while 34% of people had checked Facebook within the last 10 minutes.
    Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 16 May 2026
  • Research from It’s Time To Log Off found the average person spends one full day each week online, while 34% of people had checked Facebook within the last 10 minutes.
    Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 16 May 2026
Verb
  • After hundreds to thousands of years, the feeding black hole or neutron star falls into the stellar core and destroys it, creating a luminous emission.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 May 2026
  • Federal debt destroys wealth and impedes economic growth.
    Rose Evans May 6, Idaho Statesman, 6 May 2026
Verb
  • But the weakening of that regime weakens the proxies as well.
    CBS News, CBS News, 10 May 2026
  • Jeff Marks, director of portfolio analysis for the Club, said the report weakens the case for near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts because the labor market remains stable.
    Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 8 May 2026
Noun
  • And as in those days, extravagances like butler service and delicacies like caviar, lobster, and seafood towers are at the ready.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Still, Stroheim’s spending was out of control—literally so, insofar as attempting to rein him in seemed to provoke new extravagances.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Wastes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wastes. Accessed 18 May. 2026.

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