waste

waste¹ W3S2 [weıst] n

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1¦(bad use)¦

2 go to waste

3 be a waste of time/money/effort etc

4¦(unwanted materials)¦

5 a waste of space

6¦(land)¦

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[Sense: 1-5; Date: 1200-1300; Origin: WASTE²]

[Sense: 6; Date: 1100-1200; : Old North French; Origin: wast, from wast (adjective); WASTE³]

1.) ¦(BAD USE)¦ [singular, U]

when something such as money or skills are not used in a way that is effective, useful, or sensible

waste of

▪ Being unemployed is such a waste of your talents.

▪ Many believe that state aid is a waste of taxpayers' money.

▪ What a waste of all that good work!

▪ excessive waste in state spending

2.) go to waste

if something goes to waste, it is not used

▪ Don't let all this food go to waste.

3.) be a waste of time/money/effort etc

to be not worth the time, money etc that you use because there is little or no result

▪ We should never have gone - it was a total waste of time.

4.) ¦(UNWANTED MATERIALS)¦[U]

unwanted materials or substances that are left after you have used something

▪ The emphasis now is on recycling household waste .

industrial/chemical etc waste

▪ proposals to end the dumping of industrial waste into rivers and seas

▪ waste pipes

▪ The disposal of hazardous waste is a serious problem.

5.) a waste of space

spoken someone who has no good qualities

6.) ¦(LAND)¦

wastes [plural] literary

a large area of land where there are very few people, plants, or animals

wastes of

▪ the icy wastes of Antarctica

icy/frozen/snowy etc wastes

→↑waste ground, ↑wasteland

waste ²

waste² W3S2 v [T]

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1¦(not use sensibly)¦

2¦(not use fully)¦

3 be wasted on somebody

4 waste your breath

5 waste no time (in) doing something

6 waste not, want not

7¦(harm somebody)¦

Phrasal verbs

　waste away

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[Date: 1200-1300; : Old North French; Origin: waster, from Latin vastare; DEVASTATE]

1.) ¦(NOT USE SENSIBLY)¦

to use more money, time, energy etc than is useful or sensible

▪ Leaving the heating on all the time wastes electricity.

waste sth on sb/sth

▪ Don't waste your money on that junk!

2.) ¦(NOT USE FULLY)¦ [usually passive]

to not make full use of someone or something

▪ Hannah's wasted in that clerical job.

▪ His talents were obviously being wasted as a lawyer.

3.) be wasted on sb

if something is wasted on someone, they do not understand how good or useful it is

▪ Her good advice was wasted on the children.

4.) waste your breath

spoken to say something that has no effect

▪ Don't try to reason with Paul - you're wasting your breath.

5.) waste no time (in) doing sth

to do something as quickly as you can because it will help you

▪ He wasted no time in introducing himself.

6.) waste not, want not

spoken used to say that if you use what you have carefully, you will still have some of it if you need it later

7.) ¦(HARM SOMEBODY)¦

informal AmE to kill someone, severely injure them, or defeat them

waste away phr v

to gradually become thinner and weaker, usually because you are ill

waste ³

waste³ W3 adj [only before noun]

[Date: 1200-1300; : Old North French; Origin: wast, from Latin vastus; VAST]

1.) waste materials, substances etc are unwanted because the good part of them has been removed

2.) waste land is empty or not looked after by anyone

→↑wasteland

→lay waste at ↑lay² (11)