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
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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
Facilities owned by companies with positive net income, according to their income statements obtained from PitchBook, a company that collects data on corporations, released an average of 40% of their toxic-chemical-containing wastes to the environment. Jennifer Brodmann, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2025 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 Rivera-Kohr's thesis focuses on the biodegradation of wastes from plastic manufacturing and municipal sources. Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 8 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
Verb
That clogs the judicial system, wastes limited resources, and delays justice for those with legitimate grievances. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025 Families are struggling with rising costs while City Hall wastes millions. Miami Herald Staff, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2025 On one end, the industry uses millions of tons of pollutive fibers for fashion; the other wastes millions of tons of agri-residue. Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 6 Oct. 2025 The average driver in Sacramento and its surrounding cities and suburbs wastes $1,518 and 62 hours of their life sitting in traffic each year, a new report found. Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2025 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wastes
Noun
  • However, these skyrocketing living costs don’t mean that top earners are willing to cut back on all their luxuries.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Even the more utilitarian and mundane areas of the home include unexpected conveniences and luxuries.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Some 136 newspapers in the United States have closed in the past year, news deserts are expanding and web traffic to the nation’s top newspapers has dropped markedly this decade, according to a report issued Monday that struggles to find hope for the beleaguered news industry.
    David Bauder, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Though Lyra first sought answers through the Aurora Borealis, she is destined to discover the true nature of Dust in the deserts of Central Asia.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The double-height living room has a striking brick and mirror-paneled fireplace and large expanses of glass.
    Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2025
  • 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
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
  • Vaccarello, who was born and raised in Belgium to Sicilian parents, spends a month in Los Angeles twice each year, usually in March and November, a recuperation from the semiannual exertions of the women’s collection.
    Rob Haskell, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2025
  • According to the real-estate search engine StreetEasy, a property in Park Slope spends a median of seventy-eight days on the market.
    Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • After a drone strike destroys her home, Alice, a graphic designer in her thirties, finds unexpected love with Vadym, a soldier briefly on leave.
    Annika Pham, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Once in place, the device releases liquid nitrogen, reaching temperatures as low as –170°C to form an ice ball that destroys the tumor cells.
    Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Blocking them causes disruption to the cells’ energy-generating mitochondria and leads to oxidative stress, which further weakens cancer.
    Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Even as the storm weakens over Baja California, its tropical moisture will continue to drift north, fueling intense downpours and possible flooding across the Southwest.
    Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 10 Oct. 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 23 Oct. 2025.

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