waster

noun

wast·​er ˈwā-stər How to pronounce waster (audio)
1
a(1)
: one that spends or consumes extravagantly and without thought for the future
(2)
: a dissolute person
b
: one that uses wastefully or causes or permits waste
a procedure that is a waster of time
c
: one that lays waste : destroyer
2
: an imperfect or inferior manufactured article or object

Examples of waster in a Sentence

He has been called a waster of taxpayers' money. He thinks every meeting is a big time waster.
Recent Examples on the Web When the city of Sacramento decided to crack down on water wasters in late March, inspectors handed out more than 350 citations in less than two days. Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024 The company has no use for delegators and money wasters. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2023 Director and co-founder of the Work Time Reduction Center Of Excellence Joe O’Connor tells PBS companies can cut work hours and maintain productivity by fixing time-wasters like overlong meetings, inefficient processes and other workplace distractions. Emily Washburn, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023 Make sure to send your ballots in for this ridiculous, time waster of a California governor recall election; and also check out Variety’s loads of Emmy content, including our Emmy Extra editions, to fully immerse yourself in the categories before voting! Michael Schneider, Variety, 19 Aug. 2021 Family karaoke is another fun time-waster. Nadine Jolie Courtney, Redbook, 16 Aug. 2018 Engineers love to avoid this power waster if at all possible. Don Sherman, Car and Driver, 22 Feb. 2023 Having to run back to the home center after the work gets underway is a huge time waster. Rachel Rothman, Good Housekeeping, 13 Feb. 2023 While this structure may have been influential in the past, many now see it as a time-waster and a hindrance to organizational progress. Tinna Jackson, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'waster.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler
The first known use of waster was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near waster

Cite this Entry

“Waster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waster. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

waster

noun
wast·​er ˈwā-stər How to pronounce waster (audio)
: one that uses or uses up carelessly or needlessly
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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