go to waste

Idioms  

1. Fail to be used or taken advantage of. For example, I hate to see such talent go to waste, or We bought so much food that some will be going to waste. [c. 1500]

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Example Sentences

So, instead of having the trip go to waste, they decided to make use of their studio time.

From Los Angeles Times

At Spring, she fashioned discount dishes out of such items as potato skins that otherwise would go to waste.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It is inconceivable,” Nuzzi writes of the paparazzi who stalk her, “that someone would choose to allow a crisis to go to waste, would not want to make of their attention more attention, would not want to reap some kind of short-term profit from the mess of their life.”

From Los Angeles Times

While surveys find that many gift-card recipients spend 30% to 40% above the card amount in efforts to “use the full card,” and pay any difference out of pocket, some consumers leave a small balance when shopping that will often go to waste.

From The Wall Street Journal

“New uniforms, perhaps. Something with a bit of lace around the collar would be nice. And hire a staff of gardeners, if you please! There are not nearly enough flowers along the paths. Tulips are impractical for such a large area, but daffodils should do quite nicely. It would be a pity to let all that sunlight go to waste.”

From Literature

Related Words

• blow
• consume
• deplete
• dissipate
• divert
• drain
• exhaust
• lavish
• lose
• misuse
• squander
• undermine