fritter

1
[ frit-er ]
See synonyms for: fritterfrittering on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to squander or disperse piecemeal; waste little by little (usually followed by away): to fritter away one's money; to fritter away an afternoon.

  2. to break or tear into small pieces or shreds.

verb (used without object)
  1. to dwindle, shrink, degenerate, etc. (often followed by away): to watch one's fortune fritter away.

  2. to separate or break into fragments: a plastic material having a tendency to fritter.

noun
  1. a small piece, fragment, or shred.

Origin of fritter

1
1720–30; earlier fitter, derivative of fit (Old English fitt) a part

Other words for fritter

Other words from fritter

  • frit·ter·er, noun
  • un·frit·tered, adjective

Words Nearby fritter

Other definitions for fritter (2 of 2)

fritter2
[ frit-er ]

noun
  1. a small cake of batter, sometimes containing corn, fruit, clams, or some other ingredient, fried in deep fat or sautéed.

Origin of fritter

2
1350–1400; Middle English friture, frytour<Old French friture<Late Latin frīctūra a frying, equivalent to Latin frict(us), past participle of frīgere to fry1 + -ūra-ure

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fritter in a sentence

  • Stir into plain fritter batter, and drop by spoonfuls into deep hot fat, turning gently until brown.

  • They fear the worst, dread failure, dampen their own confidence, and therefore fritter away their own energy.

    Health Through Will Power | James J. Walsh
  • Louise and Winona had become so excited about their dinner by this time that a mere fritter-sauce was nothing.

    Winona of the Camp Fire | Margaret Widdemer
  • I repeat that you fritter away your talents and your opportunities upon this miserable task-work on a journal.

    Lucretia, Complete | Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for fritter (1 of 2)

fritter1

/ (ˈfrɪtə) /


verb(tr)
  1. (usually foll by away) to waste or squander: to fritter away time

  2. to break or tear into small pieces; shred

noun
  1. a small piece; shred

Origin of fritter

1
C18: probably from obsolete fitter to break into small pieces, ultimately from Old English fitt a piece

Derived forms of fritter

  • fritterer, noun

British Dictionary definitions for fritter (2 of 2)

fritter2

/ (ˈfrɪtə) /


noun
  1. a piece of food, such as apple or clam, that is dipped in batter and fried in deep fat

Origin of fritter

2
C14: from Old French friture, from Latin frictus fried, roasted, from frīgere to fry, parch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012