waste
gb/wˈeɪst/ us/wˈeɪst/
A2
Anglais
~ 2700
Sens
0 sens
Nom
A2
entity
1
Unwanted or unusable material
Things that are not wanted and are thrown away.
Schéma d’usage :
[something] is waste
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'waste' (unwanted material) with 'waste' (to use carelessly). Context helps to distinguish them.
Synonymes
garbage (More common in North American English for household waste; less formal.)
Antonymes
resource (Something useful or valuable, the opposite of unwanted material.)
Collocations
waste disposal
|waste management
|reduce waste
|waste collection
|hazardous waste
Thèmes
environment
|daily life
|business
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The factory produces a lot of chemical waste.
- Please put your food waste in the compost bin.
- Electronic waste is a growing environmental problem.
- They are finding new ways to recycle plastic waste.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The bin is full of waste.
- We must not throw waste in the street.
- This machine reduces food waste.
- They burn the waste at the plant.
Verbe
A2
action
2
Use carelessly or without benefit
To use something in a bad way so that it is lost.
Schéma d’usage :
to waste [something] on [something/someone]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'waste' (to use badly) with 'spend' (neutral). 'Spend' is not always negative.
Synonymes
squander (More formal and often used for money or opportunities.)
Antonymes
conserve (To use something carefully so it lasts longer.)
Collocations
waste time
|waste money
|waste resources
|waste energy
Thèmes
daily life
|business
|core_vocabulary
|finance
Exemples
- Don't waste your time arguing with him.
- She wasted a lot of money on clothes she never wore.
- We can't afford to waste energy during the winter.
- He wasted his talent on a job he hated.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Don't waste water when you wash dishes.
- She wasted all her money on toys.
- We waste too much paper at school.
- He wasted his chance to win.
Nom
A2
action
3
Unnecessary use of something valuable
When something valuable is used in a bad way and lost.
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse this noun sense with the physical-material noun sense; here it is about the act, not the object.
Synonymes
misuse (Focuses more on wrong or improper use rather than simply careless loss.)
Antonymes
efficient use (Using something in the best possible way.)
Collocations
a waste of time
|a waste of money
|a complete waste
Thèmes
daily life
|core_vocabulary
|finance
Exemples
- It would be a waste of time to try again.
- Throwing away good food is such a waste.
- The meeting was a total waste of resources.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The trip was a waste of money.
- This game is a waste of time.
- Selling the car now is a waste.
adjective
B2
state
4
Thin and weak from illness or hunger
Very thin and weak because of being sick or not having enough food.
Synonymes
emaciated (More formal and medical term for extremely thin due to illness.)
Antonymes
healthy (Having good health and normal strength.)
Collocations
waste body
|waste appearance
Thèmes
health
|body
Exemples
- The patient looked pale and wasted after months in bed.
- He was wasted by the long illness.
Exemples pédagogiques
- She looks wasted after the sickness.
- He became wasted from hunger.
- The old man was wasted by disease.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
waste
API
GB/wˈeɪst/
US/wˈeɪst/
Syllabes et accentuation
waste (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (waste)
Formes du mot
Adjective
- Base: waste
Noun
- Base: waste
- Plural: waste, wastes
Verb
- Base: waste
- 3rd Person Singular: wastes
- Present Participle: wasting
- Past: wasted
Famille de mots
Forms
wastes
noun
wasting
verb
wasted
verb
Core family
wasteful
adjective B2
Related words
wastefully
adverb
wastefulness
noun
Advanced or less common
wastage
noun
Expressions
a waste of space
1/ə wˈeɪst əv spˈeɪs/
idiom
informal
Useless person or thing
Someone or something that is useless and takes up space.
Exemples
- That broken printer is just a waste of space.
- He's such a waste of space—he never helps with anything.
go to waste
1/ɡˈoʊ tə wˈeɪst/
idiom
Be unused and spoiled/lost
To not be used and therefore be lost or ruined.
Exemples
- Don't let those apples go to waste—make a pie!
- His skills went to waste in that boring job.
lay waste to
1/lˈeɪ wˈeɪst tə/
idiom
literary
Destroy completely; devastate
To completely destroy something so that nothing is left.
Exemples
- The hurricane laid waste to the coastal towns.
- The army laid waste to the enemy's land.
waste away
1/wˈeɪst əwˈeɪ/
phrasal verb
Become thin and weak from illness/hunger
To slowly become very thin and weak because of sickness or lack of food.
Exemples
- She wasted away after months in hospital.
- The dog was wasting away when they found it.