1
as in luxuries
an instance of spending money or resources without care or restraint it seems like a waste to spend my entire paycheck on a bigger TV
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2
as in deserts
land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops an area that was a barren waste after the strip-mining had ended
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3
as in expanses
a wide space or area a legendary mariner doomed to sail the watery wastes of the world until Judgment Day
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4
as in erosions
a gradual weakening, loss, or destruction the slow waste of the once broad beach by the relentless tide
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1
as in spends
to use up carelessly he wasted his lottery winnings on booze-soaked nights with gold diggers
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2
as in destroys
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of one country attempting to waste another
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3
as in weakens
to diminish the physical strength of endless months of inactivity wasted him
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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 wastes
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026 This digital commute creates heat and wastes power. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Mar. 2026 Other medications act like poison, killing kidney tubule cells, which help to filter wastes and reabsorb nutrients. —Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026 Watering between 10 am and 4 pm wastes water; most of it evaporates before reaching roots. —Kate McKenna, The Spruce, 5 Mar. 2026 If economic rationality alone served as the driving reason for enclosure, then privatizing wastes, land considered no good for farming, would have made no sense. —Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026 Each unsuccessful treatment takes, and wastes, precious time. —Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 18 Feb. 2026 The structure of geopolymers can also be designed to act as adsorbents, attracting toxic metals in wastewater and capturing and storing radioactive wastes. —Alcina Johnson Sudagar, The Conversation, 12 Feb. 2026 Acute wastes are those that could kill, permanently incapacitate or otherwise seriously harm people through even small exposures. —Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026 This not only wastes money and product, but also exposes pollinators and other wildlife to unnecessary chemicals. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026 Traditional manufacturing of refractory metals wastes up to 95% of the raw material through machining – removing unwanted material to create the precise shape – but 3D printing can bring that figure close to zero. —Vitor Rielli, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026 Fife, the civil rights attorney, said counties’ failures to release people wastes taxpayer dollars but also robs people of their jobs, families and health care. —Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026 Compared to many other countries, Texas wastes an extraordinary amount of water through outdated infrastructure, inefficient consumption, and lack of innovation. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026 Puffing also wastes fuel and risks damaging the engine if done repeatedly — another reason drivers shouldn’t make a habit out of it. —Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026 Pekau responded to the decision with a blog post maintaining the lawsuit is politically motivated and wastes taxpayer money. —Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026 Attempting to pursue an offer without meeting these requirements wastes time and money while interest and penalties continue to accrue. —Kaitlyn Gomez, USA Today, 19 Jan. 2026
Noun
Placental Mammals Placental mammal, (infraclass Eutheria), any member of the mammalian group characterized by the presence of a placenta, which facilitates exchange of nutrients and wastes between the blood of the mother and that of the fetus. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026 This digital commute creates heat and wastes power. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Mar. 2026 Other medications act like poison, killing kidney tubule cells, which help to filter wastes and reabsorb nutrients. —Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026 Watering between 10 am and 4 pm wastes water; most of it evaporates before reaching roots. —Kate McKenna, The Spruce, 5 Mar. 2026 If economic rationality alone served as the driving reason for enclosure, then privatizing wastes, land considered no good for farming, would have made no sense. —Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026 Each unsuccessful treatment takes, and wastes, precious time. —Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 18 Feb. 2026 The structure of geopolymers can also be designed to act as adsorbents, attracting toxic metals in wastewater and capturing and storing radioactive wastes. —Alcina Johnson Sudagar, The Conversation, 12 Feb. 2026 Acute wastes are those that could kill, permanently incapacitate or otherwise seriously harm people through even small exposures. —Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Verb
War wastes innocent lives, trillions of dollars and time better spent on, for example, global climate change and the necessary global cooperation needed to address it. —Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026 This not only wastes money and product, but also exposes pollinators and other wildlife to unnecessary chemicals. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026 Traditional manufacturing of refractory metals wastes up to 95% of the raw material through machining – removing unwanted material to create the precise shape – but 3D printing can bring that figure close to zero. —Vitor Rielli, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026 Fife, the civil rights attorney, said counties’ failures to release people wastes taxpayer dollars but also robs people of their jobs, families and health care. —Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026 Compared to many other countries, Texas wastes an extraordinary amount of water through outdated infrastructure, inefficient consumption, and lack of innovation. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026 Puffing also wastes fuel and risks damaging the engine if done repeatedly — another reason drivers shouldn’t make a habit out of it. —Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026 Pekau responded to the decision with a blog post maintaining the lawsuit is politically motivated and wastes taxpayer money. —Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026 Attempting to pursue an offer without meeting these requirements wastes time and money while interest and penalties continue to accrue. —Kaitlyn Gomez, USA Today, 19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wastes
Noun
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Not extras, not luxuries -- the basics.— Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
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During their time there, Ozzy and Sharon carefully renovated the home in order to add modern day luxuries and features, while making sure to maintain the historical architecture and charm of the era it was designed and built in.— Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Our public forests, rivers and deserts deserve to be treated better, and the federal land managers who work tirelessly deserve better.— Tracy Stone-Manning, Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2026
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Gusty winds are expected in the mountains and deserts of Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties — enough to down tree limbs and trees and make driving high-profile vehicles difficult.— Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And our national parks were still wild expanses barely fit for mules.— Jacqueline Kehoe, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2026
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Glass expanses and sliding walls dissolve boundaries, while Turner’s mix of tactile natural materials and warm neutrals echoes the setting without resorting to Caribbean cliché.— Andrew Sessa, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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He’s known for building intentional cracks and erosions into his works, which often reveal an interior geology of materials like crystals or gears, and more recently, labyrinth staircases populated with small figures, not unlike a surreal antique dollhouse.— Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 11 Mar. 2026
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These erosions leak into other areas of law.— Emily Galvin Almanza, Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Orion crew spends first day in space NASA's Orion spacecraft is pictured from one of the cameras mounted on its solar array wings on April 7.— Mark Osborne, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.— BestReviews, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For those who know the play well, some of Mantello’s choices are most striking, especially the horror here of the famous hotel-room scene with a tawdry lover (brutally played by Katherine Romans), an act born of loneliness that destroys a father’s relationship with his son forever.— Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
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Alzheimer’s disease, a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, affects more than 6 million Americans, most of them age 65 or older.— Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The exit of thousands of DOJ lawyers weakens law enforcement for many years to come, former DOJ lawyers told USA TODAY.— Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
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Abbott contends the policy weakens statewide coordination with federal authorities.— Jack Fink, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Still, Stroheim’s spending was out of control—literally so, insofar as attempting to rein him in seemed to provoke new extravagances.— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
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The more exciting news for everyone who can’t afford such extravagances is that Malone is promising new music by then.— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 4 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wastes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/wastes. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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