What does waste mean?

waste means "spend thoughtlessly; throw away". That is the primary sense; the word has 16 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in waste?

waste has 1 syllable: waste. In IPA it is /ˈweɪst/.

What is another word for waste?

Close synonyms include blow, squander, run off, neutralize, neutralise. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

What is the opposite of waste?

The recorded antonyms are conserve.

Is waste a common word?

waste is banded "Core" — among the few thousand words that carry most english. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

What rhymes with waste?

1 word rhymes with waste. Rhymes are matched on the phonemes from the last stressed vowel onward, which is the definition a reader has in their head.

waste — meaning, pronunciation and 16 definitions

verb

10 sensesAn action, occurrence or state of being.

1.
spend thoughtlessly; throw away
“He wasted his inheritance on his insincere friends”
“You squandered the opportunity to get and advanced degree”
Synonymsblow squander
Antonymsconserve
Broaderuse
Narrowerburn
2.
use inefficiently or inappropriately
“waste heat”
“waste a joke on an unappreciative audience”
Broaderuse
3.
get rid of
“We waste the dirty water by channeling it into the sewer”
Broaderdiscard
4.
run off as waste
“The water wastes back into the ocean”
Synonymsrun off
Broaderrun
5.
get rid of (someone who may be a threat) by killing
“The mafia liquidated the informer”
“the double agent was neutralized”
Synonymsneutralize neutralise liquidate knock off do in
Broaderkill
6.
spend extravagantly
“waste not, want not”
Synonymsconsume squander ware
Broaderspend
Narrowerdrink fritter luxuriate lavish overspend splurge
7.
lose vigor, health, or flesh, as through grief
“After her husband died, she just pined away”
Synonymspine away languish
Broaderweaken
8.
cause to grow thin or weak
“The treatment emaciated him”
Synonymsemaciate macerate
Broaderenfeeble
9.
cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
“The enemy lay waste to the countryside after the invasion”
Synonymslay waste to devastate desolate ravage scourge
Broaderdestroy
Narrowerruin
10.
become physically weaker
“Political prisoners are wasting away in many prisons all over the world”
Synonymsrot
Broaderdevolve
Narrowernecrose

noun

5 sensesA person, place, thing, quality or idea.

1.
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
“they collect the waste once a week”
“much of the waste material is carried off in the sewers”
Synonymswaste material waste matter waste product
Broadermaterial
Narrowerimpurity exhaust body waste filth sewage effluent garbage pollutant rubbish slop
2.
useless or profitless activity; using or expending or consuming thoughtlessly or carelessly
“if the effort brings no compensating gain it is a waste”
“mindless dissipation of natural resources”
Synonymswastefulness dissipation
Broaderactivity
Narrowerboondoggle waste of effort waste of material waste of money waste of time extravagance squandering
3.
the trait of wasting resources
“a life characterized by thriftlessness and waste”
“the wastefulness of missed opportunities”
Synonymsthriftlessness wastefulness
Broaderimprovidence
4.
an uninhabited wilderness that is worthless for cultivation
“the barrens of central Africa”
“the trackless wastes of the desert”
Synonymsbarren wasteland
Broaderwilderness
Narrowerheath
5.
(law) reduction in the value of an estate caused by act or neglect
Synonymspermissive waste
Broaderact
law

adjective

1 senseA word that describes or qualifies a noun.

1.
located in a dismal or remote area; desolate
“a desert island”
“a godforsaken wilderness crossroads”
“a wild stretch of land”
“waste places”
Synonymsgodforsaken wild
Similarinhospitable

Other forms of waste

plural: wastes·
past tense: wasted·
present participle: wasting·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about waste

What does waste mean?: waste means "spend thoughtlessly; throw away". That is the primary sense; the word has 16 in total, listed in full on this page.
How many syllables are in waste?: waste has 1 syllable: waste. In IPA it is /ˈweɪst/.
What is another word for waste?: Close synonyms include blow, squander, run off, neutralize, neutralise. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.
What is the opposite of waste?: The recorded antonyms are conserve.
Is waste a common word?: waste is banded "Core" — among the few thousand words that carry most english. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.
What rhymes with waste?: 1 word rhymes with waste. Rhymes are matched on the phonemes from the last stressed vowel onward, which is the definition a reader has in their head.

Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for waste come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.

verb

10 sensesAn action, occurrence or state of being.

1.
spend thoughtlessly; throw away
“He wasted his inheritance on his insincere friends”
“You squandered the opportunity to get and advanced degree”
Synonymsblow squander
Antonymsconserve
Broaderuse
Narrowerburn
2.
use inefficiently or inappropriately
“waste heat”
“waste a joke on an unappreciative audience”
Broaderuse
3.
get rid of
“We waste the dirty water by channeling it into the sewer”
Broaderdiscard
4.
run off as waste
“The water wastes back into the ocean”
Synonymsrun off
Broaderrun
5.
get rid of (someone who may be a threat) by killing
“The mafia liquidated the informer”
“the double agent was neutralized”
Synonymsneutralize neutralise liquidate knock off do in
Broaderkill
6.
spend extravagantly
“waste not, want not”
Synonymsconsume squander ware
Broaderspend
Narrowerdrink fritter luxuriate lavish overspend splurge
7.
lose vigor, health, or flesh, as through grief
“After her husband died, she just pined away”
Synonymspine away languish
Broaderweaken
8.
cause to grow thin or weak
“The treatment emaciated him”
Synonymsemaciate macerate
Broaderenfeeble
9.
cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
“The enemy lay waste to the countryside after the invasion”
Synonymslay waste to devastate desolate ravage scourge
Broaderdestroy
Narrowerruin
10.
become physically weaker
“Political prisoners are wasting away in many prisons all over the world”
Synonymsrot
Broaderdevolve
Narrowernecrose

noun

5 sensesA person, place, thing, quality or idea.

1.
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
“they collect the waste once a week”
“much of the waste material is carried off in the sewers”
Synonymswaste material waste matter waste product
Broadermaterial
Narrowerimpurity exhaust body waste filth sewage effluent garbage pollutant rubbish slop
2.
useless or profitless activity; using or expending or consuming thoughtlessly or carelessly
“if the effort brings no compensating gain it is a waste”
“mindless dissipation of natural resources”
Synonymswastefulness dissipation
Broaderactivity
Narrowerboondoggle waste of effort waste of material waste of money waste of time extravagance squandering
3.
the trait of wasting resources
“a life characterized by thriftlessness and waste”
“the wastefulness of missed opportunities”
Synonymsthriftlessness wastefulness
Broaderimprovidence
4.
an uninhabited wilderness that is worthless for cultivation
“the barrens of central Africa”
“the trackless wastes of the desert”
Synonymsbarren wasteland
Broaderwilderness
Narrowerheath
5.
(law) reduction in the value of an estate caused by act or neglect
Synonymspermissive waste
Broaderact
law

adjective

1 senseA word that describes or qualifies a noun.

1.
located in a dismal or remote area; desolate
“a desert island”
“a godforsaken wilderness crossroads”
“a wild stretch of land”
“waste places”
Synonymsgodforsaken wild
Similarinhospitable

Other forms of waste

plural: wastes·
past tense: wasted·
present participle: wasting·

Questions about waste

What does waste mean?: waste means "spend thoughtlessly; throw away". That is the primary sense; the word has 16 in total, listed in full on this page.
How many syllables are in waste?: waste has 1 syllable: waste. In IPA it is /ˈweɪst/.
What is another word for waste?: Close synonyms include blow, squander, run off, neutralize, neutralise. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.
What is the opposite of waste?: The recorded antonyms are conserve.
Is waste a common word?: waste is banded "Core" — among the few thousand words that carry most english. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.
What rhymes with waste?: 1 word rhymes with waste. Rhymes are matched on the phonemes from the last stressed vowel onward, which is the definition a reader has in their head.

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waste

verb

noun

adjective

Other forms of waste

Questions about waste

Tools

Jump to

Images & video

PDF & writing

Calculate & convert

Health & fitness

AI, code & work

Learn & play

Tool directories

Search

Jump to

Explore AltFTool

Help

Theme

waste

verb

noun

adjective

Other forms of waste

Questions about waste