waste
/weɪst/ (bre, ipa) · /weɪst/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈwāst/ (ame, mw)
waste — noun
- wastesingular
- wastesplural
1. when money, time, energy, or similar resources are used so poorly that nothing u
when money, time, energy, or similar resources are used so poorly that nothing useful results from them.
Asher thought it was a waste of money to buy a new phone every year.
collocation: a waste of [money/time/energy]
Jack could not stand the waste of food when the restaurant threw away unsold meals.
collocation: waste of food/resources
Spending hours on social media felt like a waste of time to Hui.
The whole project was a complete waste of effort since nobody used the results.
Shanti considered it a waste of her skills to work at the data-entry job.
- squandering
more active and negative, implies deliberate carelessness
- misuse
focuses on using something for the wrong purpose rather than using too much
- wastefulness
refers to the habit or quality, not a single instance
- conservation
the careful and efficient use of resources
文法句型
a waste of + noun
用法筆記
Frequently appears in the pattern 'a waste of + noun phrase' where the noun names a resource (time, money, food, talent, space).
常見錯誤
2. food, goods, or other items that are not eaten or put to use because there was t
food, goods, or other items that are not eaten or put to use because there was too much or nobody wanted them.
Shirin hated to see fresh vegetables go to waste when she forgot to eat them.
phrase: go to waste
The bakery donates unsold bread so that none of it goes to waste.
Ife worried that all the leftover party food would go to waste without extra guests.
In her sewing room, Henry's grandmother never let fabric scraps go to waste.
- leftovers
concrete noun for uneaten food, not a state of being unused
文法句型
go to waste
用法筆記
This sense is almost always used in the fixed phrase 'go to waste', meaning end up unused or uneaten. It rarely appears in other grammatical contexts.
3. any material that is no longer wanted or needed and is thrown away, especially w
any material that is no longer wanted or needed and is thrown away, especially what remains after useful parts have been taken out.
The city collects household waste from the green bins every Tuesday morning.
collocation: household waste
Vinícius sorted the plastic waste into a separate recycling bag.
collocation: plastic/kitchen/toxic waste
Nuclear waste must be stored safely for thousands of years.
The factory was fined for dumping toxic waste into the river.
Ari reduced his kitchen waste by composting fruit peels and eggshells.
- resource
something useful or valuable from which benefit can be gained
用法筆記
Always uncountable. Use 'piece of waste' or 'item of waste' for individual things. To count types, use 'kinds of waste' or 'waste products'.
常見錯誤
4. an unused piece of ground within or beside a built-up area that has no structure
an unused piece of ground within or beside a built-up area that has no structures on it and serves no purpose.
Children played football on a piece of waste ground behind the old cinema.
collocation: waste ground
The waste lot near the train station was covered in weeds and broken glass.
Nikos wanted to turn the waste area into a community vegetable garden.
Developers bought the waste site and built affordable apartments there.
- vacant lot
American English equivalent
- brownfield site
industrial land that may be contaminated; more technical
- empty plot
neutral term for unused land ready for building
用法筆記
Commonly used in British English in the phrase 'waste ground'. The American equivalent is usually 'vacant lot' or 'empty lot'. The noun can be either uncountable ('waste ground') or countable ('a waste lot').
5. expanses of remote territory that lack human settlement, crops, and most wildlif
expanses of remote territory that lack human settlement, crops, and most wildlife, typically because the environmental conditions are too extreme.
The Arctic waste stretches for miles with nothing but ice and snow.
collocation: Arctic/frozen/sandy waste
Explorers crossed the frozen waste of Siberia during the harsh winter.
Reuben gazed across the dry waste where no crops could grow.
A vast waste of sand and rock lay between the two mountain ranges.
- wilderness
more general; can include forests and is not always barren
- desert
specifically dry, sandy, or rocky waste
- barren land
emphasises the inability to support plant or animal life
用法筆記
Often preceded by a descriptive adjective ('frozen', 'sandy', 'arid') that names the specific landscape type. Typically used in singular with 'a' when referring to one specific area.
waste — verb
- wastepresent simple I / you / we / they
- wastes3rd person singular
- wasting-ing form
- wastedpast simple
1. to use more of something than you need to, or to use it in a way that produces n
to use more of something than you need to, or to use it in a way that produces nothing of value, especially when the supply is limited.
Asher wasted his entire allowance on video games he barely played.
waste + money on [something]
Don't waste your time arguing with people who refuse to listen.
Tariro wasted three hours waiting for a bus that never arrived.
The company wasted millions on a marketing campaign that failed completely.
Hui warned her younger brother not to waste the chance to study medicine abroad.
- squander
stronger, more disapproving; suggests deliberate carelessness with something valuable
- fritter away
suggests using small amounts until nothing is left
- blow
informal; means spending a large amount of money quickly and carelessly
文法句型
waste + noun phrase
用法筆記
Object is typically a resource (time, money, food, energy, talent) or an opportunity. The preposition 'on' introduces what the resource was spent on. Also used with gerund: 'waste time doing something'.
常見錯誤
2. to murder someone, used especially in informal or criminal conversation.
to murder someone, used especially in informal or criminal conversation.
In the crime film, the gangster threatened to waste his rival outside the bar.
informal register: waste [somebody]
The detective found evidence that the victim had been wasted by professional hitmen.
passive: be wasted by [killer]
Reuben read a novel where the main character wasted three enemies in a shootout.
Shirin refused to watch films where gangsters casually waste innocent people.
文法句型
waste + somebody
用法筆記
Strongly informal and associated with organised crime, gangster films, and violent fiction. Not appropriate in formal writing, news reporting, or polite conversation.
常見錯誤
❌ 'The soldiers wasted the enemy troops in battle.' (inappropriate for formal/war context) — This slang sense belongs to criminal or film contexts, not military reporting.
3. to damage or destroy a place or area so completely that nothing useful or living
to damage or destroy a place or area so completely that nothing useful or living remains.
The earthquake wasted entire fishing villages along the coast of the island.
collocation: wasted by earthquake/war/fire
Years of war wasted the farmland, leaving burned fields and empty houses.
A wildfire wasted thousands of acres of forest and forced people to evacuate.
The plague wasted the city's population in the fourteenth century.
- devastate
the most common modern equivalent for this meaning
- ravage
similar register; suggests violent and widespread destruction
- lay waste to
formal/idiomatic phrase with the same meaning
文法句型
waste + noun phrase
用法筆記
This sense has a literary or historical feel. In modern English, 'devastate' or 'destroy' are more common. The phrase 'lay waste' is a related formal idiom meaning 'to completely destroy'.
4. to become increasingly thin and weak, or to cause someone to lose strength and w
to become increasingly thin and weak, or to cause someone to lose strength and weight, usually because of illness or lack of food.
Ife's body was wasted by months of hunger and illness in the refugee camp.
passive: be wasted by [illness/hunger]
Shanti watched her cat waste away from a mysterious disease the vet could not cure.
phrasal: waste away
The disease slowly wasted the old man's muscles until walking became impossible.
Without proper food or clean water, the prisoners wasted to almost nothing within weeks.
- strengthen
to become stronger
- thrive
to grow strong and healthy
文法句型
waste away
be wasted by [illness/hunger]
用法筆記
The intransitive form 'waste away' is more common than the transitive. The transitive form ('disease wasted his body') is quite formal or literary. Common in medical contexts describing muscle atrophy or cachexia.
waste — adjective
- wastepositive
- wastercomparative
- wastestsuperlative
1. describes things that have been thrown away because they are considered useless,
describes things that have been thrown away because they are considered useless, broken, or no longer needed.
The recycling company collects waste paper and cardboard from office buildings.
collocation: waste paper
The factory sold its waste metal to a scrapyard for reprocessing.
collocation: waste metal/plastic
Waste materials from the construction site were taken to the local dump.
Shirin turned waste fabric from the tailor's workshop into colourful patchwork cushions.
Tariro used waste wood from an old barn to build shelves for his workshop.
文法句型
waste + noun (materials/paper/products)
用法筆記
Always used attributively (before a noun). Refers specifically to materials that can be reused or recycled, unlike 'waste' as a noun which covers all unwanted matter. Common in business and environmental contexts.
2. describes a place that has been destroyed or severely damaged, with buildings an
describes a place that has been destroyed or severely damaged, with buildings and land left in a broken, unusable condition.
After the bombing, the entire city centre lay waste and completely deserted.
phrase: lay waste
The garden was left waste after the tornado tore down every tree and fence.
phrase: left waste
Villagers returned to find their homes waste and covered in ash from the volcano.
The fields lay waste for a decade after the war destroyed the irrigation systems.
- devastated
more common in modern English
- ruined
general term for something destroyed or spoiled
- desolate
emphasises emptiness and abandonment
- intact
not damaged or broken
- flourishing
growing or developing successfully
文法句型
lay waste
lie waste
用法筆記
Most commonly used after 'lay' in the fixed phrase 'lay waste' (meaning 'to destroy completely'). When used as a predicate adjective, often pairs with 'lay' or 'lie': 'the land lay waste'.
3. describes land that is empty, wild, and not suitable for growing crops or suppor
describes land that is empty, wild, and not suitable for growing crops or supporting life.
The road cut through miles of waste land with no houses or trees in sight.
collocation: waste land
Farmers abandoned the waste fields after the soil became too salty for anything to grow.
Only tough bushes could survive in that waste landscape of dry rock and sand.
The region was a waste area of dry grass, scattered rocks, and abandoned huts.
- barren
focuses on inability to grow plants
- desolate
emphasises emptiness and sadness of the landscape
- uncultivated
neutral term for land not used for farming
- fertile
describes land that is good for growing crops
- cultivated
land that has been prepared and used for crops
文法句型
waste + noun (land/fields/region)
用法筆記
Almost always used attributively (before a noun like 'land' or 'region'). 'Waste land' and 'waste ground' are the most common collocations. In modern English, 'barren' or 'desolate' are more common alternatives.