1
as in luxuries
an instance of spending money or resources without care or restraint
it seems like a waste to spend my entire paycheck on a bigger TV
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
3
as in expanses
a wide space or area
a legendary mariner doomed to sail the watery wastes of the world until Judgment Day
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
1
as in spends
to use up carelessly
he wasted his lottery winnings on booze-soaked nights with gold diggers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in weakens
to diminish the physical strength of
endless months of inactivity wasted him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wastes
Dr. John De Jong, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026
Depending on soil temperature and moisture, the number of microorganisms in the soil, and the carbon content of the wastes, decomposition will occur in one month to one year to feed plant root systems.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 24 May 2026
This damage impairs kidney function, preventing the proper production of urine and the elimination of metabolic wastes.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 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
Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
Instead, Greenbaum, who did far better and smarter work with many of the same people in Too Funny to Fail and Will & Harper, wastes time on a voiceover device that’s too cutesy to be worth the effort and a three-act structure that’s more for the benefit of his editors than the audience.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
Justin Stasiw’s soundscape wastes no time throwing the audience into Mumbai, where vehicles, whistles and rickshaws harshly yet thrillingly enter the ears.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Petras wastes no time arguing this case for herself.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 June 2026
How the ‘system’ plays In 1958, working-class voters and Democrats were within 5 points of each other on whether government wastes a lot of tax money.
—Nicholas Jacobs, The Conversation, 2 June 2026
Noting that many vanities have a false drawer front at the top, which wastes space, Ecklund recommends rethinking it.
—Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 27 May 2026
But police say the game wastes resources and could have severe unintended consequences.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
Fix the part that wastes the most energy first.
—Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2026
Noun
The liver has many functions including producing bile and various proteins, storage of energy, metabolizing nutrients, and, perhaps most significantly, filtering toxins and wastes from the body.
—Dr. John De Jong, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026
Depending on soil temperature and moisture, the number of microorganisms in the soil, and the carbon content of the wastes, decomposition will occur in one month to one year to feed plant root systems.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 24 May 2026
This damage impairs kidney function, preventing the proper production of urine and the elimination of metabolic wastes.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 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
Verb
Beth wastes no time shutting down the conversation.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
Instead, Greenbaum, who did far better and smarter work with many of the same people in Too Funny to Fail and Will & Harper, wastes time on a voiceover device that’s too cutesy to be worth the effort and a three-act structure that’s more for the benefit of his editors than the audience.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
Justin Stasiw’s soundscape wastes no time throwing the audience into Mumbai, where vehicles, whistles and rickshaws harshly yet thrillingly enter the ears.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Petras wastes no time arguing this case for herself.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 June 2026
How the ‘system’ plays In 1958, working-class voters and Democrats were within 5 points of each other on whether government wastes a lot of tax money.
—Nicholas Jacobs, The Conversation, 2 June 2026
Noting that many vanities have a false drawer front at the top, which wastes space, Ecklund recommends rethinking it.
—Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 27 May 2026
But police say the game wastes resources and could have severe unintended consequences.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
Fix the part that wastes the most energy first.
—Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wastes
Noun
-
Elite luxuries include a gym, game room, movie theater, and wine cellar.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
10 June 2026
-
Owning your own home is one of the world’s greatest luxuries.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Just under 300,000 years from the moment Homo sapiens appeared in Africa, the species had encircled Earth, mastering desolate deserts and frozen wastelands and all the temperate climes in between.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
-
On a blind date, his descriptions of magical griffins and burning deserts sound humiliatingly immature.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
This is not even considering the dedication of vast expanses of farmland to solar farms.—
Louise Schiavone,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
The Okefenokee swamp's prairies are vast, watery expanses dotted with floating islands and stands of cypress and other trees.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
9 June 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
-
Magloire, who once dreamed of becoming a professional soccer career and has mixed feelings about the World Cup’s current state, nowadays spends more time thinking about movements on a stage than on a soccer field.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2026
-
When a company spends that much political capital warning about existential risk, policymakers eventually act on those warnings.—
Sandy Carter,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Standard recycling destroys the whole part just to clean it.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
-
The mechanism is an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO, abundant in bananas, which destroys flavanols both during blending and inside the stomach.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Restricting those channels weakens influence competitors have struggled to match.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
-
Iran’s government warned that any division at home over the deal weakens its negotiating position, and that those criticizing negotiators are taking aim at a national decision.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 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
Cite this Entry
“Wastes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wastes. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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