fritter

1 of 2

noun

frit·​ter ˈfri-tər 

: a small mass of fried or sautéed batter often containing fruit or meat

fritter

2 of 2

verb

frittered; frittering; fritters

transitive verb

1

: to spend or waste bit by bit, on trifles, or without commensurate return

—usually used with away

2

: to break into small fragments

intransitive verb

: dissipate, dwindle

fritterer

ˈfri-tər-ər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• cake
• croquette
• cutlet
• galette
• patty
• pattie

Verb

• blow
• dissipate
• fiddle away
• lavish
• lose
• misspend
• run through
• spend
• squander
• throw away
• trifle (away)
• waste

Examples of fritter in a Sentence

Noun

she loves eating corn fritters with maple syrup

Verb

quit frittering away the afternoon playing video games and get some housework done!

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Celebrity Cruises' 5-night Bahamas and Mexico Duration: Five nights What to expect: Cruisers board the 2,218-passenger Celebrity Summit in Miami and head to Nassau, Bahamas, for a day of relaxing beaches, duty-free shopping, and dining on the local specialty, conch fritters. —Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2024

Cassava fritters, cassava fries, cassava cakes … cassava’s possibilities are nearly endless. —Stephen Wooding, The Conversation, 1 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English fritour, from Anglo-French friture, from Vulgar Latin *frictura, from Latin frictus, past participle of frigere to roast

Verb

fritter, noun (fragment, shred)

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1728, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing fritter

• fritter away

Kids Definition

fritter

1 of 2 noun

frit·​ter ˈfrit-ər 

: a small lump of fried batter often containing fruit or meat

fritter

2 of 2 verb

: to spend or use up bit by bit especially on worthless things

—usually used with away

frittered away his savings

fritterer

-ər-ər 

noun