1
a
: a sparsely settled or barren region : desert
b
: uncultivated land
c
: a broad and empty expanse (as of water)
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
c
: material derived by mechanical and chemical weathering of the land and moved down sloping surfaces or carried by streams to the sea
wasted; wasting
1
: to lay waste
especially
: to damage or destroy gradually and progressively
reclaiming land wasted by strip-mining
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
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
1
2
: being in a ruined or devastated condition
3
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
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
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025
Municipal waste and recycling collected from homes and businesses in the area are received by the transfer station and temporarily stored in separate bays before recycling is moved to one of WM’s recycling facilities for processing.
—Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 29 Oct. 2025
Callum Sutherland, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Globally, more than 30 percent of food is wasted each year across the supply chain—from farms and transportation to retail and households.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 1 Oct. 2025
This anti-waste brand upcycles materials, and was founded by Kisa Sky Shiga.
—Nadja Sayej, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for waste
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The simple and eco-friendly method to turn agricultural and forestry waste into powerful magnetic materials can effectively remove toxic chemicals from water.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025
Municipal waste and recycling collected from homes and businesses in the area are received by the transfer station and temporarily stored in separate bays before recycling is moved to one of WM’s recycling facilities for processing.
—Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
Democrats say Republicans’ refusal to extend the credits will lead to steep increases for working families, while Republicans argue that the program fuels waste and fraud.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Globally, more than 30 percent of food is wasted each year across the supply chain—from farms and transportation to retail and households.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Local laws and supplier audits The OECD has called on Shein to publish further public information about its compliance with France’s anti-waste law (AGEC), which aims to move businesses toward greater circularity.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 1 Oct. 2025
This anti-waste brand upcycles materials, and was founded by Kisa Sky Shiga.
—Nadja Sayej, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for waste
Cite this Entry
“Waste.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waste. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
waste
1 of 3 noun1
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
Medical Definition
waste
2 of 3 verb
wasted; wasting
: to cause to shrink in physical bulk or strength : emaciate
: 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
noun1
: 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)
Michelson v. Duncan, 407 A.2d 211 (1979) Love words? Need even more definitions?
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