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Synonyms

waster

American  
[way-ster] / ˈweɪ stər /

noun

  • wasters
    plural
  1. a person or thing that wastes time, money, etc.

  2. a piece of ceramic ware warped, cracked, or melted during firing.

  3. a spendthrift or wastrel.

  4. a destroyer.

    The Vandals were wasters of cities.

  5. Chiefly British. wastrel.


waster British  
/ ˈweɪstə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that wastes

  2. a ne'er-do-well; wastrel

  3. an article spoiled in manufacture

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of waster

1300–50; Middle English < Anglo-French wastere, wastour ( see -or 2); later understood as waste + -er 1


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The renewables biofuel factory was intended to produce sustainable aviation fuel and diesel from waster, but faced unfavourable market conditions.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2025

And it doesn’t have to be another unending time waster or money pit project.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 3, 2023

Outdoor watering, in particular, is the biggest water waster in urban areas, and drought-tolerant and “California-friendly” landscaping can save up to 85% more water than grass, according to the MWD.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2022

For example, spongy bone tissue is found in the inner layer of bones and contains blood vessels to deliver nutrients and remove waster from bone cells.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

He had been merely a waster, and a sharp bitterness was in him as he strode along, hands deep in pockets.

From I Conquered by Harold Titus

The message, which was said to be deleted shortly after it was posted, also included a list of meet-up points and the statement "time wasters will be blocked".

From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025

West in efforts to crack down on water wasters.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 9, 2023

The other countries in the top five wasters have also been slow even to set a baseline to measure progress.

From Reuters ● Nov. 15, 2022

In previous droughts, some agencies had “water cops” looking for wasters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2022

A utilities committee levied one-cent fines on wasters of water and electricity.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

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