waste 1 of 3

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in erosion
a gradual weakening, loss, or destruction the slow waste of the once broad beach by the relentless tide

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

waste

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verb

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waste

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adjective

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb waste contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of waste are despoil, devastate, pillage, ravage, and sack. While all these words mean "to lay waste by plundering or destroying," waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action.

years of drought had wasted the area

When would despoil be a good substitute for waste?

In some situations, the words despoil and waste are roughly equivalent. However, despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction.

the Nazis despoiled the art museums

When is it sensible to use devastate instead of waste?

Although the words devastate and waste have much in common, devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area.

an earthquake devastated the city

How are the words pillage and sack related as synonyms of waste?

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

settlements pillaged by Vikings

When is ravage a more appropriate choice than waste?

The words ravage and waste are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction.

a hurricane ravaged the coast

In what contexts can sack take the place of waste?

The synonyms sack and waste are sometimes interchangeable, but sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place.

barbarians sacked ancient Rome

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of waste
Noun
Read more upvotes Comment View 544 comments Dog waste disputes are more than just a neighborhood nuisance. Darlin Tillery, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025 Similar to many other automatic litter box models, the circular orb rotates, sifting dirty litter into a waste bag, which on this model is on top of the machine rather than below. Wired, Wired News, 10 July 2025
Verb
The Phillies wasted another spectacular effort from one of their starting pitchers. Matt Gelb, New York Times, 8 July 2025 Close more deals, waste less time, and build trust faster than ever before. Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Adjective
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 To boost that percentage, France passed an anti-waste bill last year mandating that electronics manufacturers make a repairability index visible on their products. Maddie Stone, Wired, 20 Feb. 2021 See All Example Sentences for waste
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waste
Noun
  • Wasps are also scavengers, and they can often be found flying around garbage bins looking for their next meal.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 July 2025
  • Folsom 4th of July garbage schedule For those living in Folsom, trash and waste pickup will continue as scheduled, according to the city’s website.
    Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado Updated July 2, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2025
Noun
  • The United States is full of many different landscapes that range from vast deserts, beaches, towering mountains, stunning coastlines, and lush forests.
    Celia Fernandez, CNBC, 4 July 2025
  • Fire restrictions highlighted the urgency of staying safe in Arizona’s forests, deserts and scrublands.
    Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 3 July 2025
Noun
  • When not elbow-deep in dino dung or outrunning raptors, Laura Dern's heartfelt performance in Jurassic Park shows why women really deserve to inherit the Earth — and all of the acting awards.
    Huntley Woods, EW.com, 1 July 2025
  • Rodent dung found on pet food shelves at a Fort Lauderdale Family Dollar 951 Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale Inspector Timothy O’Neil slapped a Stop-Use Order on the pet food aisle of the Fort Lauderdale store at 951 Sunrise Blvd.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 11 May 2025
Noun
  • The changes should spur the expansion of housing in urban areas that are close to jobs and transportation and make an impactful contribution toward addressing the housing crisis in California by narrowing the gap between housing demand and supply.
    Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 July 2025
  • Infrastructure And Security Must Scale With Innovation With the proliferation of AI, IoT and edge computing, enterprises are seeing a massive expansion in the volume of connected devices, data streams and computing endpoints.
    Massimo Peselli, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Noun
  • This has been primarily due to the wall’s waterspouts (installed during the British Raj), which caused a discharge of monsoon rainwater, resulting in deep erosion and damage.
    Sonya Rehman, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
  • In cases of severe erosion and decay, crowns can help preserve teeth and maintain function for many years.
    Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 July 2025
Verb
  • Greg Mingo, a graduate of P.E.I. who received clemency from then Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2021, after forty years of incarceration, has spent the time since his release engaged in activism on behalf of the incarcerated and the recently released.
    Brooke Allen, New Yorker, 12 July 2025
  • Her illness has left her with irreparable dental damage—forcing her to spend thousands of dollars to restore her smile, a painful and permanent reminder of her eating disorder.
    Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 July 2025
Verb
  • Now a wonderful memory of the occasion will be ruined in my memories.
    Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 9 July 2025
  • The ceiling was now on the floor, the world had turned itself upside down, her outfit and her day and her rug were seemingly ruined—and yet she herself was not hurt.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 July 2025
Verb
  • Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is 86 years-old and his political power is weakened following the short war with Israel.
    Jackie Northam, NPR, 9 July 2025
  • The June jobs report showed strong headline numbers, but the underlying data pointed to a weakening labor market.
    Danny Bakst, Fortune, 9 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Waste.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waste. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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