waste

1 of 3

noun

ˈwāst 

1

a

: a sparsely settled or barren region : desert

b

: uncultivated land

c

: a broad and empty expanse (as of water)

2

: the act or an instance of wasting : the state of being wasted

3

a

: loss through breaking down of bodily tissue

b

: gradual loss or decrease by use, wear, or decay

4

a

: damaged, defective, or superfluous material produced by a manufacturing process: such as

(1)

: material rejected during a textile manufacturing process and used usually for wiping away dirt and oil

cotton waste

(2)

: scrap

(3)

: an unwanted by-product of a manufacturing process, chemical laboratory, or nuclear reactor

toxic waste

hazardous waste

nuclear waste

b

: refuse from places of human or animal habitation: such as

(1)

: garbage, rubbish

(2)

: excrement

—often used in plural

(3)

: sewage

c

: material derived by mechanical and chemical weathering of the land and moved down sloping surfaces or carried by streams to the sea

waste

2 of 3

verb

wasted; wasting

transitive verb

1

: to lay waste

especially : to damage or destroy gradually and progressively

reclaiming land wasted by strip-mining

2

: to cause to shrink in physical bulk or strength : emaciate, enfeeble

a body wasted by disease

3

: to wear away or diminish gradually : consume

4

a

: to spend or use carelessly : squander

waste valuable resources

b

: to allow to be used inefficiently or become dissipated

a writer wasting her talent

5

: kill

also : to injure severely

intransitive verb

1

: to lose weight, strength, or vitality

—often used with away

was wasting away from illness

2

a

: to become diminished in bulk or substance

b

: to become consumed

3

: to spend money or consume property extravagantly or improvidently

waste

3 of 3

adjective

1

a(1)

: being wild and uninhabited : desolate

(2)

: arid, empty

b

: not cultivated : not productive

2

: being in a ruined or devastated condition

3

[waste entry 1]

a

: discarded as worthless, defective, or of no use : refuse

waste material

b

: excreted from or stored in inert form in a living body as a by-product of vital activity

waste products

4

[waste entry 1] : serving to conduct or hold refuse material

a waste barrel

specifically : carrying off superfluous water

a waste drain

5

: wasted sense 4

Phrases

waste one's breath

: to accomplish nothing by speaking

Synonyms

Noun

• wastefulness
• luxury
• extravagance
• prodigality

Verb

• spend

Adjective

• barren
• desolate
• impoverished
• poor
• unproductive
• bleak

Choose the Right Synonym for waste

ravage, devastate, waste, sack, pillage, despoil mean to lay waste by plundering or destroying.

ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction.

a hurricane ravaged the coast

devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area.

an earthquake devastated the city

waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action.

years of drought had wasted the area

sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place.

barbarians sacked ancient Rome

pillage implies ruthless plundering at will but without the completeness suggested by sack.

settlements pillaged by Vikings

despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction.

the Nazis despoiled the art museums

Examples of waste in a Sentence

Noun

The current system causes a lot of waste.

We need to find ways to reduce unnecessary waste.

These old computers are still useful. It seems like such a waste to throw them away.

Any further investment would be a waste of valuable resources.

The city oversees waste disposal contracts.

Verb

Don't waste water during the summer drought.

He always wasted his money on useless gadgets.

Turn off the lights so we don't waste electricity.

I think he's just wasting my time.

We can't afford to waste so much food.

We can't afford to waste this opportunity.

Adjective

waste acreage that was not fit for anything

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Both sectors rely heavily on end-to-end visibility, real-time tracking and demand forecasting technologies to minimize waste and ensure timely delivery. —Andre Claudio, Sourcing Journal, 11 July 2025

Investment will also be needed in new industries that can deliver the infrastructure to support circularity, ensuring that the use of raw materials can be optimized, products can be tracked throughout their lifetime and waste can be minimized through reuse. —Carmen Ene, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025

Verb

Old and extra light bulbs seem to always end up in a box on a garage shelf, wasting storage space that could be used for other items. —Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 July 2025

Everyone's time is valuable, and no one's time should be wasted. —Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 11 July 2025

Adjective

This anti-waste brand upcycles materials, and was founded by Kisa Sky Shiga. —Nadja Sayej, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2022

Fanning out like urban guerrillas through Paris’ darkened streets well after midnight, the anti-waste activists shinny up walls and drain pipes, reaching for switches to turn off the lights. Click. —The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English waste, wast; in sense 1, from Anglo-French wast, from wast, gast, guast, adjective, desolate, waste, from Latin vastus; in other senses, from Middle English wasten to waste — more at vast

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French waster, gaster, from Latin vastare, from vastus desolate, waste

Adjective

Middle English waste, wast, from Anglo-French wast

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing waste

• a waste of space
• e-waste
• go to waste
• haste makes waste
• lay waste to
• toxic waste
• toxic (waste) dump
• waste away
• waste bin
• waste disposal unit
• waste no time
• waste not, want not
• waste of money
• waste of time
• waste one's breath
• waste pipe
• waste product
• zero waste

Rhymes for waste

• based
• baste
• braced
• cased
• chased
• chaste
• faced
• graced
• haste
• laced
• mayst
• paced

Kids Definition

waste

1 of 3 noun

ˈwāst 

1

a

: a region that has few people or is empty of most signs of life : desert

b

: uncultivated land

2

a

: the act or an instance of wasting

b

: the state of being wasted

3

a

: material left over, rejected, or thrown away

b

: an unwanted product obtained in the course of a manufacturing or chemical process

c

: material (as carbon dioxide in the lungs or urine in the kidneys) produced in and of no further use to the living body

waste

2 of 3 verb

wasted; wasting

1

: to destroy completely

2

: to wear away or grow smaller gradually

3

: to spend carelessly or uselessly : squander

4

: to lose or cause to lose weight, strength, or energy

illness caused her to waste away

waste

3 of 3 adjective

1

: being wild and without people or crops : desolate, barren

2

: being in a ruined condition

3

: thrown away as worthless after being used

4

: of no further use to a person, animal, or plant

means by which the body gives off waste materials

Medical Definition

waste

1 of 3 noun

ˈwāst 

1

: loss through breaking down of bodily tissue

2

wastes plural : bodily waste materials : excrement

waste

2 of 3 verb

wasted; wasting

transitive verb

: to cause to shrink in physical bulk or strength : emaciate

intransitive verb

: to lose weight, strength, or vitality

—often used with away

waste

3 of 3 adjective

: excreted from or stored in inert form in a living body as a by-product of vital activity

waste products

Legal Definition

waste

noun

1

: destruction of or damage to property that is caused by the act or omission of one (as a lessee, mortgagor, or life tenant) having a lesser estate and is usually to the injury of another (as an heir, mortgagee, or remainderman) with an interest in the same property

an action for waste

— ameliorating waste \ ə-​ˈmēl-​yə-​ˌrā-​tiŋ-​ \

: waste that leads to improvement of property (as by clearing the way for rebuilding something)

called also ameliorative waste

— permissive waste

: waste caused by the failure of a tenant to take ordinary or proper care of the property

— voluntary waste

: waste caused by the intentional commission of a destructive act by a tenant

2

: a reduction of the value of assets (as in a trust) caused by a failure to exercise proper care or sound judgment in managing them

especially : a transfer of corporate assets (as through excessive executive compensation or a merger) for no legitimate business purpose or for less than what a person of ordinary sound business judgment would consider to be adequate consideration

the essence of a claim of waste of corporate assets is the diversion of corporate assets for improper or unnecessary purposes

—Michelson v. Duncan, 407 A.2d 211 (1979)