noun / adjective / verb
waste
WAYST/wˈeɪst/
To use up, damage, or discard something without useful result.
She wastes water by leaving the faucet running while brushing her teeth.
Etymology
Latin vastare meant laying something waste or devastating it. English extended the idea of ruin to squandering resources: consuming or spending them without an adequate return.
In context
no one wants to waste their vote on a third party or independent candidate who they think won't win.
More examples
- We compost food waste instead of throwing it in the trash.
- The system uses waste heat to warm the building.
- I wasted an hour waiting for the wrong bus.
- Unused muscles gradually waste away.
Forms
waste · wastes · wasted · wasting
wasteful adjective — Using more resources than are needed.