WordGarden.iowaste
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /wˈeɪst/
US
- /ˈweɪst/
Meanings
Noun
unwanted leftover material or garbage
a useless or needless loss of time, money, effort, or resources
material eliminated by the body, such as urine or feces
Verb
to use or spend carelessly or to no good effect
to devastate or destroy
Beyond the definition
Waste is not just about trash in a bin. It can mean unwanted material that is left over and thrown away, but it can also mean using something badly or losing it for no good reason. A leaky pipe wastes water. A long, pointless meeting wastes time. Fresh food can go to waste if nobody eats it. We also say something is a waste of money, energy, or effort when it brings little or no value. The idea usually points to loss, poor use, or something that could have been put to better use.
The word "waste" has a broad range of meanings. At its most basic, it refers to unwanted or unusable material that is thrown away after use, such as garbage, rubbish, scrap, or industrial waste. "The city is struggling with how to manage its growing waste problem." In this sense, it names what is left over when something is no longer useful.
It is also very common as a verb. To waste time is to spend it on something pointless or not useful. To waste money is to use it badly or carelessly. A broken machine wastes energy. A poorly planned project wastes resources. A person might waste a chance, a talent, or years of effort by not using them well. In this use, the word often suggests needless loss.
The word is also used in set phrases. If food, talent, or an opportunity goes to waste, it is not used when it could have been helpful or valuable. If you call something a waste of time, money, space, or effort, you mean it is not worth what was put into it. "The trip was a waste of money." "It would be a shame to let all that food go to waste."
There is also a less common descriptive use connected with empty or damaged land, as in "waste ground" or "a waste area," meaning land that is bare, unused, or not fit for normal use. This sense is much less common in everyday speech than the meanings connected with trash or careless use.
So, whether it involves trash piling up, money spent badly, food left unused, or a missed chance, "waste" is a word about things being lost, thrown away, or not used as well as they could be.
Examples
- 1
Spending money
Don't waste your money on something you don't really need.
- 2
Time use
I don't want to waste time sitting in traffic.
- Patternwaste time doing X
spend time on something not useful
- 3
Leftover food
We had too much food, so I gave some to the neighbors instead of letting it go to waste.
- Phrasego to waste
not be used when it could still be useful
- 4
Time cost
Filling out the same form twice was a complete waste of time.
- Patterna waste of + time/money/effort
not worth that time, money, or effort
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Urgent action
She wasted no time calling the doctor when her son got worse.
- Phrasewaste no time doing X
do it immediately
- 6
Environmental pollution
The company was fined for dumping toxic waste into the river.
- 7
Resource planning
Cutting prices now would be a waste of resources.
- 8
Missed opportunity
He wasted his chance by arriving late for the interview.
- 9
Home habits
We need better ways to reduce food waste at home.
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- wastenounverbadjective
Forms
- wastedpast tenseverbnounadjective
- wasting-ing formverbnounadjective
- wastespluralnounverbadjective