wastes 1 of 2

plural of waste
1
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
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
1
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
Even a short one wastes time and money as federal employees implement, and then undo, extensive plans — and there’s no indication so far that this shutdown will be short. Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 30 Sep. 2025 Its body recycles urea and other nitrogenous wastes into proteins to stave off muscle loss. Gloria Dickie, Outside, 24 Sep. 2025 The man seemed to think he was surrounded by incompetent, unintelligent, wastes of space. Josh Davis, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025 Deadlines require quick action, yet acting too quickly without layered verification wastes resources. Arnold Sotelo, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025 At odds with California’s climate goal of achieving zero-net carbon pollution, logging and milling wastes promptly release half a tree’s carbon into the atmosphere. John P. O’Brien, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025 What never stops, though, is the eternal leak of CO2 from the necks of volcanoes poking above the frozen wastes. Peter Brannen august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025 In addition to the impending shipments of elevated radioactivity wastes from New York, Wayne Disposal, off I-94 near the Willow Run Airport in Wayne County's Van Buren Township, was receiving elevated-radioactivity wastes from another FUSRAP site, a long-shuttered beryllium plant in Luckey, Ohio. Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Verb
Nutrition just isn’t something Preller wastes time on. Brittany Ghiroli, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025 Spiraling into hate only wastes energy, furthers the divide, and produces greater suffering. Mark Waller, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025 But saying goodbye to Abbie and Rory wastes too much valuable time, and now the trio is surrounded. Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025 Wayward wastes absolutely no time getting started with an episode that features a midnight kidnapping, a murder, and Toni Collette riding a recumbent bike like some modern-day Wicked Witch. Erin Qualey, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025 Most solutions try to sweep water away with higher pressure, but that wastes energy. Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025 Sales wastes time on bad leads, and the pipeline gets messy. Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025 Several in attendance Monday took the opportunity to address the crowd, arguing that canceling active missions wastes taxpayer dollars already spent and undermines relationships with international partners who have invested their own time and resources in such projects. Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2025 This reveals how enthusiasm without integration discipline wastes time and capital. Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wastes
Noun
  • Think of it as your seasonal checklist, a mix of everyday essentials and little luxuries designed to make the new season feel that much brighter.
    Essence, Essence, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The idea is that art and cultural connection aren’t luxuries, but essentials that can improve well-being and combat isolation.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • That’s the environment in which Piccard and Jones lived for nearly three weeks, gliding across oceans and deserts, often in treacherous weather conditions.
    Tomris Laffly, Variety, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Every autumn, avid leaf-peepers make annual pilgrimages to forests, mountains, and even deserts to view this awesome display on hikes and scenic drives.
    Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Vast expanses of aluminum panels and budget glass, slabs that look like they were drawn with a hacksaw, façades checkered with air conditioners, stretches of dead street frontage—the whole neighborhood looks like a first draft.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025
  • On the northern shore, Sarakiniko serves as a particular highlight thanks to its dramatic appearance, with vast expanses of bone-white rock stretching across its shoreline.
    Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Rivals Fox News Channel and CNN are seen experiencing similar erosions in that period.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 23 Feb. 2025
  • Erosive gastritis develops when inflammation damages the stomach lining, leading to ulcers (open sores) and shallow breaks (erosions).
    Lindsay Curtis, Health, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Costa spends pretty much the whole year scouting for potential films, all of which are awards contenders.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • These newly aware companies’ high-speed trading of financial projects destroys the Earth itself, forcing humans to flee to the margins of the solar system.
    Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Most of the time, a person’s immune system identifies and destroys these cells.
    Elizabeth Yuko, Flow Space, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Yuhas said rubbing could trigger keratoconus, an eye condition that weakens the cornea.
    Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 30 Sep. 2025
  • And the thymus gland, the producer of white blood cells, shrinks and weakens over time.
    Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Even in economic uncertainty, people appreciate little extravagances; something extra that shows businesses still value them.
    Dan Gingiss, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wastes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wastes. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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