noun
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a person or thing that wastes
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a ne'er-do-well; wastrel
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an article spoiled in manufacture
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
I shall be to an assembly what a waster is to a candle; and instead of adding to the general light and usefulness, I shall do the very reverse.
From The Assembly of God Miscellaneous Writings of C. H. Mackintosh, volume III by C. (Charles) H. (Henry) Mackintosh
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
Today, the lawn is among the biggest wasters of water in our urban environment — by some estimates accounting for more than half of the gallons used by city residents each year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2024
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 the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters.
From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
