fritter

¹ American  

[frit-er] / ˈfrɪt ər /

verb (used with object)

1. to squander or disperse piecemeal; waste little by little (usually followed byaway ).

   to fritter away one's money; to fritter away an afternoon.

   Synonyms:

   dissipate

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

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verb (used without object)

1. to dwindle, shrink, degenerate, etc. (often followed byaway ).

   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.

fritter ² American  

[frit-er] / ˈfrɪt ər /

noun

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

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fritter ¹ British  

/ ˈfrɪtə /

verb

1. (usually foll by away) to waste or squander

   to fritter away time

2. to break or tear into small pieces; shred

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noun

1. a small piece; shred

fritter ² British  

/ ˈfrɪtə /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• fritterer noun
• unfrittered adjective

Etymology

Origin of fritter¹

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

Origin of fritter²

1350–1400; Middle English friture, frytour < Old French friture < Late Latin frīctūra a frying, equivalent to Latin frict ( us ), past participle of frīgere to fry ¹ + -ūra -ure

Example Sentences

I’d frittered away the better part of a week and now that dream of a mountain had just crumbled to dust.

From Literature

I clear my schedule and hole up in the library, only to fritter away hours doing everything but writing.

From The Wall Street Journal

That’s just where they want to be heading into the NFC championship game at Seattle, where last month they frittered away a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter and wound up losing in overtime.

From Los Angeles Times

The meek Eagles sputtered and stalled, brainlessly frittering a time out that might have extended the game.

From The Wall Street Journal

He called the party a “mess” and wondered how its leaders might fritter away the momentum.

From Salon

Related Words

• dissipate
• lavish
• misspend
• squander