1
as in wastefulness
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
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2
as in garbage
discarded or useless material
gathered up the waste when he was finished sewing
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3
as in desert
land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops
an area that was a barren waste after the strip-mining had ended
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4
as in dung
solid matter discharged from an animal's alimentary canal
a local ordinance requiring dog owners to properly dispose of their pet's waste
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5
as in expansion
a wide space or area
a legendary mariner doomed to sail the watery wastes of the world until Judgment Day
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6
as in erosion
a gradual weakening, loss, or destruction
the slow waste of the once broad beach by the relentless tide
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1
as in to spend
to use up carelessly
he wasted his lottery winnings on booze-soaked nights with gold diggers
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2
as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
one country attempting to waste another
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3
as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
endless months of inactivity wasted him
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as in barren
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
waste acreage that was not fit for anything
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of waste
Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 5 Jan. 2026
Surplus food is distributed to local non-profit organizations, while leftover waste is processed to reduce its impact on landfills.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2026
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Jan. 2026
When 6 to 8% of every construction dollar spent in New York is wasted on insurance premiums covering absolute liability, the Scaffold Law is killing our ability to make anything affordable from housing to new schools and subway lines.
—Elizabeth Crowley, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
Lauren Weber, WSJ, 17 May 2021
The new anti-waste law aims to encourage buyers to repair their devices rather than replace them with new products.
—Chris Smith, BGR, 26 Feb. 2021
See All Example Sentences for waste
Noun
Fraud, waste, and abuse in California could hit $250 billion, according to a new analysis of hundreds of whistleblower tips commissioned by Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton and state controller candidate Herb Morgan.
—Verb
Translating basically to bring it on, the California governor wasted little time Tuesday morning taking up the 79-year-old former Apprentice host on his cognitive test challenge.
—Adjective
For many of them, working at a high-growth company with a feel-good, anti-waste mission had felt like the pinnacle of their working lives.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for waste
Noun
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She’s also previously called out wastefulness in the music industry specifically.—
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However, Bompastor’s side did little at first to shake worries about their wastefulness in front of goal.—
Noun
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That’s the whole point of that process of aging and using garbage bags and paint.—
-
Raising the city’s garbage fee was another structural solution that aldermen and the mayor opted to avoid because of similar political difficulties.—
Noun
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These tours pair expert local guides, distinctive accommodations, and exclusive access (think private temple visits in Japan or luxury desert camps in Morocco) with a focus on meaningful community impact.—
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Detroit would be wandering the desert if not for beginning its rebuild by picking Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond and Simon Edvinsson in the top six.—
Noun
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These rodents left 15 pieces of dung on top of the dishwasher.—
-
That fascination has led to more recent, post-retirement explorations into the role that the lowly dung and the lofty condor play in maintaining environmental health and balance.—
Noun
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The federal government pays 90% of the costs of Idaho’s Medicaid expansion, which as of early 2025 provided access to care for about 90,000 lower-income Idaho residents who earn too much to qualify for standard Medicaid but not enough for private insurance discounts.—
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Washington’s neutrality preserved the republic’s future, enabling economic expansion under the funding system Hamilton designed, territorial growth through the Louisiana Purchase and beyond, and eventual emergence as a great power capable of tipping global balances.—
Noun
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The house that burned was one small piece of a larger unraveling — the erosion not just of walls but of trust.—
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On a remote island in the Chesapeake Bay, a deeply rooted Christian fishing community confronts the erosion of land and tradition, as their centuries-old way of life, anchored in faith, approaches a turning point.—
Verb
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Joabe Barbosa, Matthew Plese and Omar Yousaf spent the day riding the entire MARTA rail system in an attempt to complete the full route in roughly three hours.—
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Visitors can spend their entire trip switching off between the two, but be sure to take some time to explore the rocky cove beaches called calas that have made Costa Blanca famous.—
Verb
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And, from this week’s issue, Nicola Twilley’s reporting on another lingering effect of the wildfires—smoke taint that is ruining grapes and threatening California’s wine industry.—
-
This will either change your life or ruin you.—
Cite this Entry
“Waste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waste. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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