fritter
1[ frit-er ]
/ ˈfrɪt ər /
verb (used with object)
to squander or disperse piecemeal; waste little by little (usually followed by away): to fritter away one's money; to fritter away an afternoon.
to break or tear into small pieces or shreds.
verb (used without object)
to dwindle, shrink, degenerate, etc. (often followed by away): to watch one's fortune fritter away.
to separate or break into fragments: a plastic material having a tendency to fritter.
noun
a small piece, fragment, or shred.
Nearby words
frith, frithstool, fritillaria, fritillary, frittata, fritter, fritter away, fritto misto, fritz, friuli, friuli-venezia giulia
Origin of fritter
11720–30; earlier fitter, derivative of fit (Old English fitt) a part
SYNONYMS FOR fritter
1 dissipate, frivol away, idle away.
Related formsfrit·ter·er, nounun·frit·tered, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for fritter away (1 of 2)
fritter
1/ (ˈfrɪtə) /
verb (tr)
(usually foll by away) to waste or squanderto fritter away time
to break or tear into small pieces; shred
noun
a small piece; shred
Derived Formsfritterer, noun
Word Origin for fritter
C18: probably from obsolete fitter to break into small pieces, ultimately from Old English fitt a piece
British Dictionary definitions for fritter away (2 of 2)
fritter
2/ (ˈfrɪtə) /
noun
a piece of food, such as apple or clam, that is dipped in batter and fried in deep fat
Word Origin for fritter
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
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Idioms and Phrases with fritter away
fritter away
Squander or waste little by little; wear down gradually. For example, She frittered away her salary on odds and ends and saved nothing. This expression was first recorded in Alexander Pope's Dunciad (1728): “How prologues into prefaces decay, And these to notes are fritter'd quite away.”
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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