waste

¹waste

noun \ˈwāst\

Definition of WASTE

1

a : a sparsely settled or barren region : desert b : uncultivated land c : a broad and empty expanse (as of water)

2

: the act or an instance of wasting : the state of being wasted

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: 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> b : refuse from places of human or animal habitation: as (1) : garbage, rubbish (2) : excrement —often used in plural (3) : sewage c : material derived by mechanical and chemical weathering of the land and moved down sloping surfaces or carried by streams to the sea

Examples of WASTE

1. The current system causes a lot of waste.
2. We need to find ways to reduce unnecessary waste.
3. These old computers are still useful. It seems like such a waste to throw them away.
4. Any further investment would be a waste of valuable resources.
5. The city oversees waste disposal contracts.

Origin of WASTE

Middle English waste, wast; in sense 1, from Anglo-French wast, from wast, gast, guast, adjective, desolate, waste, from Latin vastus; in other senses, from Middle English wasten to waste — more at vast

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to WASTE

Synonyms: extravagance, prodigality

Antonyms: buildup

Related Words: indulgence, luxury, splurge; loss, wastage; dissipation, profligacy, profusion, squandering, wastefulness; overindulgence, self-indulgence; excess, immoderacy, overkill

Near Antonyms: necessity; belt-tightening, conservation, economizing, economy, frugality, parsimony, penny-pinching, saving, scrimping, skimping, thrift; austerity, moderation, restraint, temperance, temperateness

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Other Ecology Terms

Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra

Rhymes with WASTE

based, baste, chaste, haste, laced, paste, taste, waist