waste1 nounwaste2 verbwaste3 adjective
wastewaste1 /weɪst/ ●●● S2 W3 noun 
WORD ORIGINwaste1
Origin:
1-5 1200-1300 ➔ WASTE26 1100-1200 Old North French wast, from wast (adjective); ➔ WASTE3EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Industrial waste had leaked into the water supply.
- It's a good idea to recycle household waste.
- The committee will study the issue of waste in state spending.
- The costs of waste disposal are rising all the time.
- The government has announced a ban on all imports of toxic waste from abroad.
- the icy wastes of Antarctica
- Too much waste has been dumped into the North Sea.
- But it was also a mark of his belief that gossip was simply a waste of time.
- In the absence of domestic reprocessing facilities, waste is rapidly piling up in storage.
- Music became the voice of opposition to the war and its senseless waste of life, and effectively found itself a conscience.
- Specially engineered vaults should be constructed so that the waste could be regularly monitored and, if necessary, retrieved.
- The Commission has already proposed establishing a compensation fund for damage caused by waste.
- The operation made financial and environmental sense by eliminating the need to use a hazardous waste site.
- The site is expected to begin receiving waste during the next few weeks.
THESAURUS
especially British English things that people throw away, such as old food, dirty paper etc: · People are being encouraged to recycle their household rubbish.· the rubbish bin
American English rubbish: · The garbage is collected every Tuesday.· There were piles of trash in the backyard.· a black plastic garbage bag
formal rubbish: · The strike has disrupted refuse collection.· It’s a site which is used for domestic refuse.
empty bottles, pieces of paper etc that people have dropped on the ground: · Parents should teach children not to drop litter.· There was a lot of litter on the beach.
rubbish, or materials that need to be dealt with after they have been used in industrial processes: · nuclear waste· toxic waste· household waste· The company was fined for dumping toxic waste in the sea.
Longman Language Activatorto waste something to use time, money, food etc in a way that is not useful or sensible, or use more of something than is necessary: · I wasted 40 minutes waiting for a bus this morning.· Don't leave the light on - you're wasting electricity.· The school kitchen wastes an awful lot of food. waste money/time on something: · Bill wastes all his money on beer and cigarettes.· Let's not waste any more time on this.
something that is wasted is not used in a sensible way, or does not produce a useful result: · I felt as if my education had been wasted when I couldn't get a job.a wasted trip/journey: · I'm sorry, you've had a wasted trip. Mr Newton isn't here at the moment.wasted life/years: · She thought back over the past four years - four wasted years married to a man who almost destroyed her.a wasted opportunity: · The government could have dealt with the problem there and then. It was a wasted opportunity.
if something goes to waste or if you let something go to waste , it is wasted because it is not used: · Local produce often goes to waste because people prefer to buy imported food.· If no one else wants this, I'll eat it -- I hate to see good food go to waste.· We can't let all our hard work go to waste.
to waste something valuable by using it in a stupid way that brings no useful results: · His family felt he had squandered his musical talent.squander a chance/opportunity: · England squandered a golden opportunity to score, seconds before the final whistle.squander away something: · Howard was a terrible gambler, and had squandered away the family fortune.
to waste something such as time or money in a silly way by using small amounts of it on things you do not need: fritter away something: · So many students seem to fritter away their time at college.fritter something away: · Michelle had frittered her inheritance away on extravagant parties and fancy clothes.
formal to gradually waste something such as money or energy by trying to do a lot of different and often unnecessary things: · She had dissipated her fortune by the time she was twenty-five.
money that is wasted: be money down the drain: · Buying nice clothes for you was just money down the drain. All you ever wear are jeans and T-shirts.throw money down the drain: · The government is throwing tax payers' money down the drain.
something that wastes time, money etc if something is a waste of time, money, energy etc, it annoys you because it uses time, money etc in a way that has no useful results: · a pointless war that was a terrible waste of human life· That class was a complete waste of time - I didn't learn anything.· My parents think going to football games is a waste of money.
an activity or method that is wasteful uses too much money, food, energy etc, without any useful results: · Many people see the new £60 million building as wasteful and extravagant. · wasteful packaging
an organization or system that is inefficient does not work well, so it uses more time, money, or energy than it needs to: · an inefficient heating system· Local government in the area is seen as being corrupt and inefficient.· The factory is inefficient, and its working practices and machinery dated.
not effective also ineffective having very little effect, so that it does not achieve what it is meant to achieve: · Studies have shown that this is not effective as a teaching technique.· The German tactics were so ineffective that Brazil had complete control in midfield.ineffective in doing something: · The government's approach has been ineffective in reducing unemployment.
informal not having any useful effect and not helping you get the result you want: · This book is useless! I can't find any of the information I need.· I reminded myself that worrying is a useless activity.useless against: · Antibiotics are useless against viral infections such as influenza.it is useless to do something: · Jenny decided to say nothing. It was useless to argue.worse than useless (=used to emphasize that something has no useful effect and may make a situation worse): · Of course we need to test children's ability, but some of these exams are worse than useless.
spoken say this when you have been trying to do something, but you realize that what you are doing is never likely to be effective: · This whole project's a waste of time, if you ask me.be a big/complete waste of time: · I came to the conclusion that therapy was a complete waste of time.
if something does not work, it does not produce the result that you want: · My doctor recommended several different creams for dry skin, but none of them worked.· If stain remover doesn't work, you'd better send your dress to the dry cleaners.· I tried ignoring his unpleasant remarks, but it didn't work.
if something has no effect , it produces no results at all or is completely unsuccessful: · The drugs had no effect.· Paul realized that his words were having no effect; Karen was not going to change her mind.
if an attempt to do something fails , you do not achieve the result that you want: · My attempt to lose weight failed completely.· Our plan to go into business failed when the bank refused to lend us enough money.
never likely to be effective - used especially by newspapers about political activities, plans etc: · They're saying that the democratic campaign is dead in the water just two days after its launch.· I think you should admit that the government's plans for higher education are now dead in the water.
certain to fail something that is pointless is unlikely to have a very useful or successful result, so it would be better not to do it or try it: · The argument was completely pointless.· Most people think the project is a pointless waste of money.pointless exercise: · Speculating like that was always a pointless exercise, but he did it nevertheless.it is pointless to do something: · It's pointless to take notes and then never look at them again.it is pointless doing something: · She decided it was pointless trying to work while her mind was on other things.
especially spoken something that is a waste of time is unlikely to achieve any useful result, so you would be wasting your time if you tried to do it: · Many people think that complaining about bad service is a waste of time.a complete/total waste of time: · These meetings are a complete waste of time. Nothing ever gets decided.it is a waste of time doing something: · It's a waste of time going to the doctor - he'll just tell you to get plenty of rest.
spoken say this when you think that it is useless to do something because you will not achieve anything useful by doing it: · "Why don't you try to explain things to him?" "There's no point, he never listens."· I was going to buy a new car, but what's the point when my old one's perfectly all right?there's no point (in) doing something: · There's no point getting a new carpet until the decorating's done.what's the point in/of doing something?: · What's the point of giving a signal when there are no other cars around to see it?
not having any chance at all of succeeding: · Attempts to clean up the environment are doomed unless businesses take a leading role.· Within a few months she realized that her marriage was doomed.doomed to failure: · If you refuse to provide any information to the user, then your computer program is doomed to failure.doomed from the start: · Their business venture was doomed from the start, as they did not have the necessary capital.
something that you try to make successful, although it seems very clear to other people that it cannot succeed: · At first it seemed the attempt to save the species was a lost cause.· The miners' strike of 1984 turned out to be a lost cause.
British an idea or plan that will definitely not be successful: · Everybody would prefer a lower rate of tax, but that that is a non-starter economically.· The project would have been a non-starter without the help of Judith Glyn.
to move over a surface while pressing against it British all the paper, empty bottles, cans, pieces of food etc that you throw away: · The dustmen collect the rubbish on Wednesdays.· There was rubbish and broken glass all over the grass.put/take out the rubbish (=put it in a rubbish bin outside your house ready to be collected): · Don't forget to put the rubbish out before you go to bed.a rubbish bin (=a container for rubbish): · Two stolen paintings have been found dumped in a rubbish bin.rubbish dump/tip (=a large open area where people's rubbish is taken after it is collected): · I rescued this table from a rubbish dump.
American all the paper, empty bottles, cans, pieces of food etc that you throw away: · There were piles of trash in the backyard.take out the garbage/trash (=put it in a garbage can outside your house ready to be collected): · I do all the chores, from picking up the groceries to taking out the garbage.garbage/trash can (=a container for garbage): · Will someone please empty this trash can!garbage truck (=a truck that takes away garbage): · Ken drives a garbage truck for a living.
paper that you throw away, especially because it has been used: · There are two bins. One is for glass and one is for waste paper.waste paper binBritish /waste paper basket American: · She crumpled the letter up and put it in the waste paper basket.
empty bottles, packets, and pieces of paper that people have dropped on the street or in a park: · These streets are full of litter.drop litter: · You can be fined £100 for dropping litter.pick up litter: · I am tired of picking up litter thrown by other people.litter binBritish /litter basket American (=a container for litter): · a picnic area with large wooden tables and litter bins
formal all the things that are regularly thrown away from the houses, shops etc in an area: · Heaps of decaying refuse littered every street. refuse collection: · Refuse collection has been seriously affected by the strike.refuse disposal (=destroying or burying refuse): · We are gradually developing safer and more effective methods of refuse disposal.household/domestic refuse (=refuse from houses): · facilities for recycling household refuse
useless materials which are left over, especially after an industrial process, and which must be thrown away: · Too much waste has been dumped into the North Sea.industrial/chemical/nuclear waste: · Industrial waste had leaked into the water supply.radioactive/toxic/hazardous waste: · The government has announced a ban on all imports of toxic waste from abroad.waste disposal (=destroying or burying waste): · The costs of waste disposal are rising all the time.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Meaning 4verbs
This is a complete waste of time. an underground nuclear waste dump They were standing on the waste ground (=land in a town that is not being used) behind the car park. the disposal of hazardous waste the problem of how to dispose of radioactive waste a shocking waste of money fumes from a toxic waste dump
· How much of our household waste is recycled?
· environmentally friendly ways to dispose of waste
· They were fined for illegally dumping waste.
(=burn it)· For many years, solid waste was incinerated.
(=treat radioactive waste so that it can be used again)· The plant reprocesses nuclear waste.
adjectives· Newspapers and magazines make up 10% of household waste.
· pollution caused by industrial waste
· the illegal dumping of hazardous waste
· plans for the safe transportation of radioactive waste
(=waste from plants, fruits, and vegetables)· Organic waste can be composted to make garden fertilizer.
(=from people going to the toilet)· The prison was full of the smell of human waste.
waste + NOUN· a washing machine waste pipe
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES (=for paper you throw away)· He threw her letter in the wastepaper basket.
· The rubbish bin is full.
· the risks from pollution and chemical waste
This is a complete waste of time. (=getting rid of unwanted materials or substances)· Most countries have improved their standards of waste disposal.
(=food, paper, glass etc that you throw out from the house)· More domestic waste needs to be recycled.
an underground nuclear waste dump· The booklet gives helpful tips on how to avoid wasting fuel.
(=grass, leaves etc that you have cut and do not want)· The brown bin is for garden waste.
They were standing on the waste ground (=land in a town that is not being used) behind the car park. the disposal of hazardous waste (=one that did not achieve the result you wanted)· To avoid a wasted journey, ring first to check that the event is still on.
· Don’t waste your money on a computer that doesn’t have enough memory.
· Fancy clothes for a baby are a waste of money.
(=one you do not use)· Many people see the failed talks as a missed opportunity for peace.
· What’s the best way to clear a blocked waste pipe?
the problem of how to dispose of radioactive waste· We cannot afford to waste our resources on fighting each other.
a shocking waste of money· They felt their son was wasting his talents and his time.
· You are wasting your time arguing with him.
fumes from a toxic waste dump (=a trip in which you do not achieve what you wanted to)· I’m afraid you’ve had a wasted trip. We don’t have those shoes in stock.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· In the North Sea, Greenpeace swimmers turned back dump ships carrying chemical wastes.
· Borrowing lecture notes is often a complete waste of time because you've missed the impact.· Look at Micky Deere, he's a complete waste of space.· She said it was a complete waste of paint.· It will either be a complete waste of time or you will find a real gem.· Why would Wilko be even remotely interested in a complete waste of space like St-wart.· Eventually, I realized the exercise was a complete waste of time.· Firstly, this little episode exposes pre-nuptial contracts in this country to be the complete waste of paper they are.· In my opinion, any attempt to reconcile the statements of principle in Lawrence and Morris is a complete waste of time.
· Under that programme, they have been able to demonstrate ways of breaking up many dangerous industrial wastes.· As it becomes more expensive to dump dangerous waste, so the economic advantages of shredding deteriorate.· Underground bacteria could compromise the containers used to bury radioactive and other dangerous wastes.
· Biofuels include crops and trees, sewage and animal slurry, and industrial and domestic wastes.· Recycle 60% of domestic waste by 2000.· Councils were supposed to set up sites for industrial and domestic wastes; the Baldonnell site was to marshal other unsuitable wastes.· Plastics constitute 20 percent by volume of domestic waste in Britain.· Energy for Waste Ten percent of domestic waste is currently being burned.· Up to one tenth of our domestic waste is glass, all of which could be recycled without any deterioration in quality.· Putrid domestic waste drips into the already festering canals.
· It also believes strongly that there should be a ban on the import of hazardous waste into the United Kingdom.· The quantity of hazardous waste sent out-of-state for treatment totals 252, 460 metric tons.· This meets the growing need to improve geoscience knowledge relevant to strategies for subsurface disposal of hazardous and radioactive wastes.· A majority of the industrial groups produce less than 10, 000 metric tons of hazardous waste.· It is essential, therefore, that we proceed with great caution when handling toxic and hazardous waste.· Trans-frontier shipments of hazardous wastes also comes under new controls.· The Labour party believes that there are a number of essential approaches to toxic and hazardous waste.
· In it we can see reflected the ecological, psychological, spiritual damage and the massive human waste of this war.· Nor should trash or debris or human wastes.· It smelt not only of mud and rotting materials, but also the unmistakable odour of human waste.· It either smelled like human waste or gar-bage or both mixed together, which it probably was.· People would not wish to eat animals fed on human waste.· The primary cause of the dreadful smell was the disposal of human waste.· By bacteriological process, human waste is reduced to a purified liquid suitable for discharge.· Toward that end, protesters stoned police, cursed them, even threw bags of human waste at them.
· From 1995, the dumping of all forms of industrial waste will be prohibited outside of territorial waters.· Any industrial byproducts or waste can be used for this purpose.· Biofuels include crops and trees, sewage and animal slurry, and industrial and domestic wastes.· Councils were supposed to set up sites for industrial and domestic wastes; the Baldonnell site was to marshal other unsuitable wastes.· Sewage sludge and industrial waste will still enter the North Sea from Britain until 1998.· Far from being a resource, most farmers see slurry as just another form of industrial waste.· Material suitable for deep sea dumping included sewage sludge, industrial waste, and toxic ashes left after the incineration of garbage.· It was agreed to halt all depositing of industrial waste in international waters by 1995, including sub-seabed disposal of nuclear waste.
· The United Kingdom does not reprocess nuclear waste; we do not even import nuclear waste.· Congress has tried to find a site to bury high-level nuclear wastes for decades, with a notable lack of success.· Containing nuclear waste Anti-nuclear campaigners sometimes claim that nuclear fission and its dangerous products are a purely manmade phenomenon.· Nor can the market get rid of or store nuclear waste.· This has been seriously assessed as a way of disposing of nuclear waste, but not toxic waste.· For nuclear waste, disposal into space is more feasible but has been discounted on numerous occasions because of the risks.· Depleted uranium, one of the hardest metals known, is classified as low-level nuclear waste.· The dispute over nuclear waste is a hangover from the last hours of the Conservative government in 1997.
· A plastic dustbin with breeding colony on to which organic waste is showered.· That treatment system, which only removes organic waste, costs $ 41, 000 annually to operate and maintain.· The prime culprit is organic farm waste, such as cattle slurry and silage, and even milk.· Producing methane gas from landfill sites, sewage works and organic wastes is another extremely practical use of resources.· The lagoons would be lined and filled with organic waste, after recyclable materials had been separated.· Food, wood, the organic wastes of animals and plants are all forms of biomass.
· Inside each drum was a designated quantity of radioactive waste.· The nations augmented the prohibitions in 1993 with a voluntary moratorium on disposing of low-level radioactive waste.· The thought of thousands of tonnes of radioactive waste being buried under their favourite stretch of countryside filled local residents with horror.· Both radioactive fission products and induced radioactivity in structural materials contribute to the problem of radioactive waste.· Sites are being selected for final disposal of radioactive waste.· These secretive facilities house the deadly legacies of the Cold War: nuclear weapons, radioactive waste and toxic chemicals.· In 1981 violent storms redistributed some of the plutonium, along with other radioactive wastes stored ashore.· The process produces a much smaller volume of chemically inert radioactive waste than conventional ion exchange techniques.
· Aluminium smelters are only one of a score of industries which now pollute the total environment with fluoride emissions and solid wastes.· Dissolved metals form a solid waste.· Last year solid waste totalled 227,000 tonnes but this is forecast to fall to 206,000 tonnes this year.· For many years, solid waste was incinerated.· The licensing of tip sites for the disposal of solid waste requires similar inspections.· Their goal is to recycle all air, water and solid wastes using mechanical and chemical processes as well as plants.· It is obvious from this that a family's solid wastes will not be adequate to meet their cooking needs.· Another employee group studied problems in solid waste, where waiting time at the Energy Recovery Plant was delaying drivers every afternoon.
· He would have regarded mastication as a terrible waste of time.· To us, coming from marketing backgrounds, this is a terrible waste of talent and effort.· But it still makes me bitter and angry at the waste, the terrible waste of all that love I had.· Inherent in all these schemes was the almost unanimous conviction that the Falls, undeveloped by man, represented a terrible waste.· Lies are a terrible distraction and waste of a citizen's time.· A terrible waste of time and money.
· And advances in technology have made congestion no longer a total waste of time.· Distasteful, and a total waste of time.· A total waste of the fantasy potential of the Illusochamber.· Household waste accounts for perhaps 4% of the total waste produced in Britain.· Perhaps this expedition did not have to be a total waste.
· It proposes a two-year ban on exports of toxic waste while the new technologies are being tested.· Indeed, they see incineration as a solution to toxic waste whose usefulness should be employed on a greater range of materials.· It is essential, therefore, that we proceed with great caution when handling toxic and hazardous waste.· Even allowing for O'Donovan doing half as much business, this would mean 3000 tonnes of toxic waste leaving Ireland a year.· Read in studio A man who's accused of dumping highly toxic waste into a river has been remanded on bail.· There is still no provision for a national toxic wastes dump.· We do not believe that the United Kingdom should import any toxic and hazardous waste.· ReChem, for example, concentrates on extremely toxic waste.
NOUN· Nuclear waste Disposal of intermediate level nuclear waste on land also presents a hazard.· Discussions of future reactor safety should revolve about two critical issues: nuclear waste disposal and nuclear weapons proliferation.· At present the local authority has no facilities for toxic waste disposal, which must be sent elsewhere.
· This year's investment amounting to £10 million, will focus on the potential of sorting household waste.· In the case of household waste, the price rarely covers more than a fraction of the cost of collection and sorting.· The plant will generate up to 38 million megawatts a year from burning 400,000 tonnes of household waste.· Organic household waste can be composted to make garden fertilizer.· Dangerous items such as these should never have found their way into household waste.· At present, 90 percent of all household waste is disposed of by burial in landfill sites.· It is illegal to put large quantities of animal faeces in household waste for collection, so that idea is ruled out.
· In several instances hearths associated with workshop waste products were found, particularly for the production of glass beads and bronze jewellery.· Octopuses are very delicate animals that are sensitive to nitrogenous and other waste products of fish.
VERB· Some countries did not have the facilities to deal with the wastes themselves and a ban might encourage indiscriminate dumping.· That means councils are having to rethink the way they deal with waste.
· This has been seriously assessed as a way of disposing of nuclear waste, but not toxic waste.· The nations augmented the prohibitions in 1993 with a voluntary moratorium on disposing of low-level radioactive waste.· After recycling, we must find the safest way in which to dispose of the waste.· Unable to dispose of the poisonous waste, the yeasts shut down and become dormant.· Other provisions to provide incentives for states to dispose of the waste remained intact.· Where toilet facilities are not available, dispose of human waste in a sanitary manner.
· That Soviet ships dumped nuclear waste in the area has been suspected for many years.· At first she dumped the garden waste, but she soon realized this would make excellent garden compost.· What about the dumping of toxic waste?· On Thursday delegates approved a resolution calling for a two-year ban on dumping radioactive wastes in the sea.· Activists have caught vessels dumping nuclear waste at sea, but most no longer sail.· As it becomes more expensive to dump dangerous waste, so the economic advantages of shredding deteriorate.· He says in the 1950's there were plans to dump nuclear waste in mineshafts.
· Greenpeace is campaigning for the closure of all industries producing wastes containing organochlorides, including dioxins.· Plants in the same general category produce different configurations of wastes, since they operate in the slightly different ways.· Nuclear power carries the risk of accidents and produces radio-active waste which will pollute the environment for centuries.
· Give community recycling schemes financial support. Recycle 60% of domestic waste by 2000.· The department is now advising other customers on how to recycle their waste.· Ben Ord said the cost of attending the conference on recycling was a waste of money.· So households have no incentive to minimise or recycle the waste they create.· Nature has the capacity to recycle wastes and reconstitute them into new resources of concentrated material quality.
· One objective is to reduce waste by 50 percent by 1995, particularly substances harmful to the environment.· The third priority is to use it more efficiently by improving irrigation, reducing waste, and so on.· Nevertheless, work continues around the Group to reduce wastes of every kind.· However, this reduces efficiency, wastes heat and causes a fire danger.· Minimal packs: Some packaging is designed to reduce waste during manufacture.· One such project was to have focused on reducing the toxic waste produced when making the plutonium core of nuclear missiles.· To reduce wastes by 50 percent by 1995, using 1990 as the baseline year.· We are therefore constantly looking for ways both to reduce the amount of waste we produce and to upgrade that which remains.
· The country lacked the technology to store the waste safely and it was threatening water supplies.· They say it's irresponsible to store radioactive waste where it can be a public danger and a safety risk.· The dump is intended to store low- and intermediate-level waste from the year 2005.
· But instead of concentrating on treating waste, research was needed into fundamentally cleaner processes that conserved water and reduced waste.· The United States sees it as an enormous proliferation risk that would be better treated as waste and buried.· The cremation of dead pets, which are treated as clinical waste, was a revelation.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► wastesPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► lay waste something
- Don't let all this food go to waste.
- If no one else wants this, I'll eat it -- I hate to see good food go to waste.
- Local produce often goes to waste because people prefer to buy imported food.
- We can't let all our hard work go to waste.
- And all that effort went to waste.
- Every part of the animal was used and nothing went to waste.
- However, they needn't go to waste.
- I hate to see them go to waste.
- I still had tickets to use for this season, and now those will just go to waste.
- Oh, no, she resolved, not twice; she wasn't going to waste another year of her life!
- She wasn't going to waste her strength.
- Unfortunately, most of these useful and innovative ideas go to waste without investigation.
- An unrealistically low offer is a waste of time.
- As I said, many of these divisions of investigation will be a waste of time.
- But it was a waste of time.
- He may protest to the auditor that this is a waste of time.
- I feel annoyed, it is a waste of time.
- Marx thought that scholarly contemplation was a waste of time.
- Which was a waste of time really, because all I wanted to do was join Granpa on the barrow.
- While some thought that they did a good job, a substantial minority felt that they were a waste of time.
- Biological media is totally unnecessary and a waste of space.
- It is a waste of space.
- Save your breath. He won't listen.
- After all, it eventually produces waste matter.
- Because if they didn't, then all solid matter would simply turn to vapour.
- It tells you just about how much organic matter is present.
- It was the only solid matter they would meet this side of Jupiterstill two hundred million miles away.
- Some organic matter is needed in order to produce nice specimens.
- The quantity needed may, however, vary according to the quantity of organic matter in the raw water.
- Urban refuse is 75 percent organic matter.
- You can improve your soil by adding organic matter.
WORD FAMILYnounwastagewastewastefulnesswasterwastreladjectivewastewastefulwastedwastingverbwasteadverbwastefully
1bad use [singular, uncountable] when something such as money or skills are not used in a way that is effective, useful, or sensiblewaste of Being unemployed is such a waste of your talents. Many believe that state aid is a waste of taxpayers’ money. What a waste of all that good work! excessive waste in state spending2go to waste if something goes to waste, it is not used: Don’t let all this food go to waste.3be a waste of time/money/effort etc to be not worth the time, money etc that you use because there is little or no result: We should never have gone – it was a total waste of time.4unwanted materials [uncountable] unwanted materials or substances that are left after you have used something: The emphasis now is on recycling waste. → nuclear waste, toxic waste5a waste of space spoken someone who has no good qualities6land wastes [plural] literary a large area of land where there are very few people, plants, or animalswaste of the icy wastes of Antarcticaicy/frozen/snowy etc wastes → waste ground, wastelandCOLLOCATIONS– Meaning 4verbsrecycle waste· How much of our household waste is recycled?dispose of waste· environmentally friendly ways to dispose of wastedump waste· They were fined for illegally dumping waste.incinerate waste (=burn it)· For many years, solid waste was incinerated.reprocess waste (=treat radioactive waste so that it can be used again)· The plant reprocesses nuclear waste.adjectiveshousehold/domestic waste· Newspapers and magazines make up 10% of household waste.industrial/chemical waste· pollution caused by industrial wastehazardous/toxic waste· the illegal dumping of hazardous wasteradioactive/nuclear waste· plans for the safe transportation of radioactive wasteorganic waste (=waste from plants, fruits, and vegetables)· Organic waste can be composted to make garden fertilizer.human waste (=from people going to the toilet)· The prison was full of the smell of human waste.waste + NOUNa waste pipe· a washing machine waste pipewaste1 nounwaste2 verbwaste3 adjective
wastewaste2 ●●● S2 W3 verb [transitive] WORD ORIGINwaste2
Origin:
1200-1300 Old North French waster, from Latin vastare; ➔ DEVASTATEVERB TABLE
waste
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | waste |
| he, she, it | wastes | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | wasted |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have wasted |
| he, she, it | has wasted | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had wasted |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will waste |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have wasted |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am wasting |
| he, she, it | is wasting | |
| you, we, they | are wasting | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was wasting |
| you, we, they | were wasting | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been wasting |
| he, she, it | has been wasting | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been wasting |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be wasting |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been wasting |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Bill wastes all his money on beer and cigarettes.
- Don't leave the light on - you're wasting electricity.
- I wasted 40 minutes waiting for a bus this morning.
- I must have wasted two whole hours trying to fix this machine.
- Let's not waste any more time on this.
- Letting the water run while you brush your teeth wastes water.
- One of the men threatened to waste the bank teller if he didn't get the money.
- Sometimes she feels she's wasted her life.
- Stop wasting time. We have to finish this by five o'clock.
- The school kitchen wastes an awful lot of food.
- Back in the United States, Alvin wasted no time in proposing ways of doing that on future modern dance tours.
- By fencing money into line items, in other words, we waste billions of dollars every year.
- He had a remote manner and didn't waste an atom of energy talking to anyone on the set except Zimmer.
- I felt enough time had been wasted, but time didn't seem to mean anything to Brando.
- She wasted no time in writing to me and commanding me to return home at once.
- The guests with a morning to waste until the ceremony at two o'clock got under everyone's feet.
- You actually hope the time and money spent on insurance will be wasted.
Longman Language Activatorto waste something
to use time, money, food etc in a way that is not useful or sensible, or use more of something than is necessary: · I wasted 40 minutes waiting for a bus this morning.· Don't leave the light on - you're wasting electricity.· The school kitchen wastes an awful lot of food. waste money/time on something: · Bill wastes all his money on beer and cigarettes.· Let's not waste any more time on this.
something that is wasted is not used in a sensible way, or does not produce a useful result: · I felt as if my education had been wasted when I couldn't get a job.a wasted trip/journey: · I'm sorry, you've had a wasted trip. Mr Newton isn't here at the moment.wasted life/years: · She thought back over the past four years - four wasted years married to a man who almost destroyed her.a wasted opportunity: · The government could have dealt with the problem there and then. It was a wasted opportunity.
if something goes to waste or if you let something go to waste , it is wasted because it is not used: · Local produce often goes to waste because people prefer to buy imported food.· If no one else wants this, I'll eat it -- I hate to see good food go to waste.· We can't let all our hard work go to waste.
to waste something valuable by using it in a stupid way that brings no useful results: · His family felt he had squandered his musical talent.squander a chance/opportunity: · England squandered a golden opportunity to score, seconds before the final whistle.squander away something: · Howard was a terrible gambler, and had squandered away the family fortune.
to waste something such as time or money in a silly way by using small amounts of it on things you do not need: fritter away something: · So many students seem to fritter away their time at college.fritter something away: · Michelle had frittered her inheritance away on extravagant parties and fancy clothes.
formal to gradually waste something such as money or energy by trying to do a lot of different and often unnecessary things: · She had dissipated her fortune by the time she was twenty-five.
money that is wasted: be money down the drain: · Buying nice clothes for you was just money down the drain. All you ever wear are jeans and T-shirts.throw money down the drain: · The government is throwing tax payers' money down the drain.
something that wastes time, money etc if something is a waste of time, money, energy etc, it annoys you because it uses time, money etc in a way that has no useful results: · a pointless war that was a terrible waste of human life· That class was a complete waste of time - I didn't learn anything.· My parents think going to football games is a waste of money.
an activity or method that is wasteful uses too much money, food, energy etc, without any useful results: · Many people see the new £60 million building as wasteful and extravagant. · wasteful packaging
an organization or system that is inefficient does not work well, so it uses more time, money, or energy than it needs to: · an inefficient heating system· Local government in the area is seen as being corrupt and inefficient.· The factory is inefficient, and its working practices and machinery dated.
to use your time badly to use your time badly, by doing nothing or by doing something that is not useful: · Stop wasting time. We have to finish this today.· I must have wasted two hours trying to fix my car.· Now she feels she's wasted her life.
to not use your time for what you intended, for example because of delays, interruptions etc: · While you're talking, we're losing valuable time.· The work is already behind schedule. The firm's lost at least 45 days through staff illness.
to become thinner to become thinner, either because you have been ill or because you want to look more attractive, be healthier etc: · The best way to lose weight is to eat less and do lots of exercise.· I'm really worried about my grandmother -- she's lost a lot of weight recently.lose three kilos/five pounds etc: · Alec lost seven pounds in a week and had to be re-admitted to the hospital.
to eat less food than usual, or to eat only certain foods, because you want to become thinner and weigh less: · "Would you like some chocolate?" "No thanks, I'm on a diet."go on a diet (=start to be on a diet): · We're both going on a diet after Christmas.
especially British to become thinner, especially by eating less and doing more exercise: · She's really slimmed down a lot since I last saw her.slim down to eight stone/100 pounds etc: · He's trying to slim down to eleven stone.
to lose a particular amount of weight quickly: · I'd like to shed a few pounds.· Stone's doctor ordered him to shed some weight and quit smoking.· Gascoigne has shed nearly 6 kilos in pre-season training and looks much fitter.
to become dangerously thin and weak, usually as a result of illness: · There was nothing we could do -- she just wasted away and within six weeks she was dead.· His muscles were slowly wasting away because of his illness.
when it is useless to try to persuade someone also might as well talk to a brick wall British spoken use this to say that it is useless to try to persuade someone or argue with them, because they will not listen to what you are saying: · I wouldn't bother arguing with Francis -- it's like talking to a brick wall.· I told you I don't want to go out again tonight -- honestly, I might just as well talk to a brick wall!
spoken use this to tell someone that there is no point in trying to argue with someone or persuade them about something because they will not change their opinion: · It's no good trying to make Kit change her mind -- you'd just be wasting your breath.· He's wasting his breath. There's no way they're going to lend him the money.
spoken if you talk, argue etc with someone till you're blue in the face , you talk or argue with them for a very long time when it is pointless to do this because they will not listen or understand: · You can argue till you're blue in the face, but it won't do you any good.· Politicians can claim until they are blue in the face that students have never had it so good, but the fact is, they cannot justify those claims.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES This is a complete waste of time. an underground nuclear waste dump They were standing on the waste ground (=land in a town that is not being used) behind the car park. the disposal of hazardous waste the problem of how to dispose of radioactive waste a shocking waste of money fumes from a toxic waste dump
(=for paper you throw away)· He threw her letter in the wastepaper basket.
· The rubbish bin is full.
· the risks from pollution and chemical waste
This is a complete waste of time. (=getting rid of unwanted materials or substances)· Most countries have improved their standards of waste disposal.
(=food, paper, glass etc that you throw out from the house)· More domestic waste needs to be recycled.
an underground nuclear waste dump· The booklet gives helpful tips on how to avoid wasting fuel.
(=grass, leaves etc that you have cut and do not want)· The brown bin is for garden waste.
They were standing on the waste ground (=land in a town that is not being used) behind the car park. the disposal of hazardous waste (=one that did not achieve the result you wanted)· To avoid a wasted journey, ring first to check that the event is still on.
· Don’t waste your money on a computer that doesn’t have enough memory.
· Fancy clothes for a baby are a waste of money.
(=one you do not use)· Many people see the failed talks as a missed opportunity for peace.
· What’s the best way to clear a blocked waste pipe?
the problem of how to dispose of radioactive waste· We cannot afford to waste our resources on fighting each other.
a shocking waste of money· They felt their son was wasting his talents and his time.
· You are wasting your time arguing with him.
fumes from a toxic waste dump (=a trip in which you do not achieve what you wanted to)· I’m afraid you’ve had a wasted trip. We don’t have those shoes in stock.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· You know it and so do I. So don't waste your breath!· Was there any point in even wasting her breath trying to convince him?· Besides, something told her she'd be wasting her breath.
· In a lively first half Paul Wilkinson wasted a good chance at the far post after 33 minutes.· If you do waste time the chances are good that your debtor will go under and you will get nothing.
· They did not want to waste their time, effort, money and future chances in taking on an impregnable President.· As processes improve, it cuts out much of the wasted effort and rework, thus enhancing productivity.· He wasted no mental effort on the problem, for this morning he had more important matters on his mind.· They build wasted time and effort into the very fabric of the organisation.· What a ridiculously wasted effort this was, Bill.· Traveling takes not only time but money, and wasted travel effort is demoralizing and damages the entire research effort.
· Try to keep mealtimes positive and relaxed and don't waste time and energy forcing your child to eat.· Incumbents busy raising money for the next election are not inclined to waste energy rehashing the rules of the last campaign.· Unlike sharks, they don't waste energy preventing themselves from sinking.· Most businesses today simply burn the emissions in a closed incinerator, wasting energy from the fire.· They cover the construction of new plants, waste reduction, energy and resource conservation and recycling.· I would not augment difficulties by protesting against them, as this only led to failure and wasted energy.· He had a remote manner and didn't waste an atom of energy talking to anyone on the set except Zimmer.· If disappointed, though, she wasted no energy on self-pity.
· Just don't waste yer life on worries, son.· We can not afford to waste another life.· I had wasted my life and Francis's.· Without a plan you will end up going in circles and wasting your life away.· Michael: Do you think he wasted his life and his talent?· Such wasted lives, such terrible humiliations.· There may be a feeling of having wasted life, with less hope of a new beginning.· The whole world seems to be depressed, and in our need to escape, we are wasting our lives away.
· Each search engine has its own quirks to lean-otherwise you'il waste a lot of time weeding through poor results.· You need to be sensible about buying components for stock though, or you will probably just waste a lot of money.· Insufficient knowledge of the latter can waste a lot of money.· Any styling effort applied to sopping wet hair is usually unnecessary and wastes a lot of time.
· Any more than that I wasted five minutes reading his articles?· I've just wasted ten minutes trying to listen to a man's chest.· Gazzer wasted twenty minutes on the sea front waiting for a bus to take him up as far as the Leisure Centre.· She was angry they had wasted the precious minutes on stupid small talk.
· You need to be sensible about buying components for stock though, or you will probably just waste a lot of money.· We told him he was wasting money.· Insufficient knowledge of the latter can waste a lot of money.· Normal government budgets encourage managers to waste money.· The Government always says how careful it is not to waste taxpayers' money.· Failed projects waste money that might have been better spent elsewhere.· Don't waste time and money on house surveys until these questions have been examined thoroughly.· The answer, if not excuse, is that wrestling might have wasted away without his money.
· Voice over Derby had one more chance to balance the books but Paul Kitson wasted a glorious opportunity by blasting wide.· They pointed to the wasted opportunities.· Not to mention wasted opportunity for the thousands of amputees better deserving of such an opportunity.· The campaign does not want to waste the opportunity.· All the other matches ended in draws but Nottinghamshire wasted an opportunity to go top of the table at Lord's.· They paid dearly for wasting goalscoring opportunities.· Then Wayne Bullimore wasted a great opportunity for Barnsley after he beat Gittens.
· Not much compared with a redundant commercial package wasting shelf space.· But what impressed me most was the enormous amount of sheer wasted space everywhere I happened to glance.· The last point could be put right, wasting more space, by adding a potential link field to every record.· The result is vast amounts of wasted space.· This book is not big enough to waste extra space writing out such a number.
· Elizabeth: No, I don't, and I get very cross when people say that he wasted his talent.· We wasted a source of talent and got Soviet-trained bureaucrats who had no idea what to do.· Just because he went to Hollywood and was paid a lot of money doesn't mean he was wasting his talent.· But because he was so likable and seemed to be wasting so much talent, teachers and counselors tried to help.· How he'd changed and refused to go on and now was wasting his talent.
· So long as we learn something from every mistake we make, time hasn't been wasted.· My fear that she would not recognize me was time wasted.· Everything about her suggested that she had lots to do and no time to waste.· Even with many processors working in parallel, much time is wasted waiting for sequential operations to complete.· Presumably not much time will be wasted with recriminations since Wimbledon got those out of the way when they sacked Egil Olsen.· A lot of otherwise productive time is being wasted debating the merits of each game.· However I do not call that time wasted.· There was no more time to waste.
VERB· He couldn't afford to waste even a minute of his allocated fifteen.· We can not afford to waste another life.· The current was taking the two boats down towards the rocks, so Harry Pascoe couldn't afford to waste time.· I certainly couldn't afford to waste petrol chasing rainbows as far as Leeds and back.· Still, since time was at a premium, she couldn't afford to waste it admiring her surroundings.· In their impoverished mountain habitat, they can not afford to waste anything.· Nevertheless, she can't afford to waste the earlier encounters.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► waste not, want notPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► lay waste something
- The irony of the situation was not wasted on me.
- At seventy-three, her days were too short to be wasted on slumber.
- Compassion could only lead to increased confusion, for it would be wasted on her.
- He explained this with his usual tact, but tact was wasted on Mrs. Bidwell.
- Her effort was wasted on me.
- I fear your quaint down-home speech is wasted on me, my friend.
- It also tends to be grown locally so that less fuel is wasted on transporting it.
- It must be a proper justification which shows that your time is not likely to be wasted on a low priority.
- Nor did this luxury stimulate local production: it was wasted on foreign imports which could never become productive at home.
- Besides, something told her she'd be wasting her breath.
- I ain going waste my breath.
- I figure why waste my breath.
- Was there any point in even wasting her breath trying to convince him?
- You know it and so do I. So don't waste your breath!
- Peter wasted no time finding himself another girlfriend.
- Additionally, less electricity is used and the chef wastes no time waiting for the correct temperature to be reached.
- Emil, the crew and I wasted no time watching.
- If it demurred, the Corps might waste no time in trying to build it instead.
- Lee wasted no time entering Maryland, the men being in high spirits as the bold move was made.
- Ringwald wastes no time wedging herself between McGaw and his coed girlfriend, Sarah Lassez.
- Shouting to Wemyss to cope with this situation, Douglas wasted no time.
- The man's wife had wasted no time going through his closets picking up worn and odd pairs.
- The Right was wasting no time, meanwhile.
- Save your breath. He won't listen.
- After all, it eventually produces waste matter.
- Because if they didn't, then all solid matter would simply turn to vapour.
- It tells you just about how much organic matter is present.
- It was the only solid matter they would meet this side of Jupiterstill two hundred million miles away.
- Some organic matter is needed in order to produce nice specimens.
- The quantity needed may, however, vary according to the quantity of organic matter in the raw water.
- Urban refuse is 75 percent organic matter.
- You can improve your soil by adding organic matter.
WORD FAMILYnounwastagewastewastefulnesswasterwastreladjectivewastewastefulwastedwastingverbwasteadverbwastefully
1not use sensibly to use more money, time, energy etc than is useful or sensible: Leaving the heating on all the time wastes electricity.waste something on somebody/something Don’t waste your money on that junk!2not use fully to not make full use of someone or something: Hannah is wasted in that clerical job. His talents were being wasted as a lawyer.GRAMMAR Waste is usually passive in this meaning.3be wasted on somebody if something is wasted on someone, they do not understand how good or useful it is: Her good advice was wasted on the children.4waste your breath spoken to say something that has no effect: Don’t try to reason with Paul – you’re wasting your breath.5waste no time (in) doing something to do something as quickly as you can because it will help you: He wasted no time in introducing himself.6waste not, want not spoken used to say that if you use what you have carefully, you will still have some of it if you need it later7harm somebody American English informal to kill someone, severely injure them, or defeat themwaste away phrasal verb to gradually become thinner and weaker, usually because you are illwaste1 nounwaste2 verbwaste3 adjective
wastewaste3 ●●○ W3 adjective [only before noun] WORD ORIGINwaste3
Origin:
1200-1300 Old North French wast, from Latin vastus; ➔ VASTEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a waste tank
- a sewage waste pipe
- Beyond the rearing buildings the waste ground was empty.
- In 1875 and 1876 the Corporation purchased 3,000 acres of the open waste lands of the forest manors.
- Inefficient recovery practices have left metal-rich waste dumps which have often been levelled or used as roadstone.
- Nor are waste dumps the only things being shaken-up.
- The waste form and the cannister should act as barriers for 1000 years each.
- The waters off North Carolina host numerous fish, a potential biological vector for transport of waste materials.
WORD SETS
abyss, nounalluvial, adjectivealluvium, nounalpine, adjectiveAmerican, adjectiveAntarctica, anticyclone, nounarchipelago, nounArctic, adjectivearid, adjectiveAsia, atlas, nounatoll, nounAustralasia, Australasian, adjectiveAustralia, avalanche, nounaxis, nounbank, nounbarometer, nounbarrier reef, nounbasin, nounbay, nounbayou, nounbeach, nounbearing, nounbed, nounbight, nounbluff, nounborder, nounborder, verbborderland, nounborderline, nounborough, nounbox canyon, nounBritish, adjectivebutte, nouncanyon, nouncape, nouncapital, nouncardinal point, nounCaribbean, adjectivecartography, nouncay, nounchain, nounchaparral, nounchart, nounchasm, nounchimney, nounChinese, adjectivecirrus, nounCIS, nouncliff, nounclimate, nounclimatic, adjectivecoastal, adjectivecoastline, nouncockney, nouncol, nouncold front, nouncommuter belt, nouncompass, nounconfluence, nouncontinent, nouncontinental, adjectivecontinental shelf, nouncontour, nounconurbation, nouncoordinate, nouncorridor, nouncorrie, nouncoterminous, adjectivecouncil estate, nouncountry, nouncounty, nouncounty town, nouncourse, nouncove, nouncrag, nouncraggy, adjectivecreek, nouncrevasse, nouncrevice, nouncumulus, nouncyclone, noundateline, noundelta, noundesert, noundesert island, noundevelopment, noundistrict, noundivide, noundown, adverbdune, noundust bowl, nouneast, nouneast, adjectiveeast, adverbeastbound, adjectiveeasterly, adjectiveeasterly, nouneastern, adjectiveEasterner, nouneasternmost, adjectiveeastwards, adverbelevation, nouneminence, nounenvirons, nounequatorial, adjectiveerode, verberosion, nounescarpment, nounestuary, nounEurope, nounextraterritorial, adjectiveeyot, nounface, nounfarmland, nounfeeder, nounfiord, nounfirth, nounfjord, nounflood plain, nounfluvial, adjectivefrontier, nounfrontiersman, noungale force, adjectivegap, noungeo-, prefixgeography, noungeophysics, noungeopolitics, noungeyser, nounglacial, adjectiveglaciation, nounglacier, nounglobe, noungoldfield, noungorge, noungrassland, nounGrecian, adjectivegreen belt, noungrid, noungrotto, noungroundwater, noungulch, noungulf, noungully, nounhead, nounheadland, nounheadwaters, nounheartland, nounhemisphere, nounhighland, adjectivehighlands, nounhigh water mark, nounhinterland, nounHome Counties, the, homeland, nounhurricane, noun-i, suffixIberian, adjectiveiceberg, nounice cap, nounice floe, nounice pack, nounice sheet, nouninhabitant, nouninland, adjectiveinland, adverbinlet, nouninner city, nouninshore, adverbinsular, adjectiveintercontinental, adjectiveInternational Date Line, nounisland, nounisle, nounislet, nounisobar, nounIsraeli, adjectiveIsraeli, nounisthmus, nounItalian, adjectiveItalianate, adjectiveItalo-, prefixJapanese, adjectivekey, nounknoll, nounlagoon, nounlake, nounlandlocked, adjectivelandmass, nounlandslide, nounlandslip, nounlat., Latin, adjectiveLatin America, nounLatin American, adjectivelatitude, nounlevee, nounlittoral, nounlong., longitude, nounlongitudinal, adjectivelough, nounlowlands, nounlow-lying, adjectivelow water mark, nounmagnetic north, nounmagnetic pole, nounmarsh, nounmarshland, nounmeander, verbMediterranean, adjectiveMercator projection, nounmeridian, nounmesa, nounMiddle America, nounmidtown, adjectivemonsoon, nounmoorland, nounmorass, nounmountain, nounmountainside, nounmountaintop, nounmouth, nounmudslide, nounmull, nounnarrows, nounnavigation, nounNE, neck, nounnor'-, prefixnorth, nounnorth, adjectivenorth, adverbNorth America, nounnortheast, nounnortheast, adjectivenortheasterly, adjectivenortheastern, adjectivenortheastwards, adverbnortherly, adjectivenorthern, adjectivenortherner, nounnorthernmost, adjectivenorthwards, adverbnorthwest, nounnorthwest, adjectivenorthwesterly, adjectivenorthwestern, adjectivenorthwestwards, adverbnotch, nounNW, NZ, oasis, nounoccidental, nounocean, nounonshore, adjectiveopenness, nounOrdnance Survey map, nounoriental, adjectiveoutcrop, nounoverspill, nounpack ice, nounpaddy, nounpalisade, nounpan-, prefixpanhandle, nounparallel, nounpeak, nounpeninsula, nounPersian, adjectivephysical geography, nounplain, nounplateau, nounpoint, nounpolar, adjectivepole, nounpolitical geography, nounpollutant, nounpop., populate, verbpopulation, nounprairie, nounprecipice, nounprecipitation, nounPrime Meridian, principality, nounprojection, nounpromontory, nounprovince, nounprovincial, adjectivepueblo, nounR, rainfall, nounrain forest, nounrain gauge, nounrainstorm, nounrange, nounravine, nounreef, nounreference, nounregion, nounregional, adjectiverelief map, nounreservoir, nounresettle, verbresidential, adjectiveresource, nounridge, nounrift valley, nounrise, verbriver, nounriver basin, nounriver bed, nounRoman, adjectiverotation, nounrugged, adjectiverun-off, nounrural, adjectivesand, nounsand bar, nounsandstorm, nounsandy, adjectivesavanna, nounScandinavian, nounscar, nounscarp, nounscree, nounscrubland, nounSE, seaboard, nounsea breeze, nounseafront, nounsea level, nounseaport, nounseaward, adjectivesection, nounsemitropical, adjectiveshelf, nounslough, nounsmog, nounsnowfield, nounsource, nounsouth, nounsouth, adjectivesouth, adverbSouth America, adjectivesoutheast, nounsoutheast, adjectivesoutheasterly, adjectivesoutheastern, adjectivesoutheastwards, adverbsoutherly, adjectivesouthern, adjectivesouthernmost, adjectivesouthwards, adverbsouthwest, nounsouthwest, adjectivesouthwesterly, adjectivesouthwestern, adjectivesouthwestwards, adverbspeleology, nounspit, nounspur, nounstrait, nounsubcontinent, nounsubtropical, adjectivesuburb, nounsuburban, adjectivesummit, nounsurvey, nounsurvey, verbSW, swamp, nountableland, nounterrain, nounterritory, nountidal, adjectivetidal wave, nountidewater, nountime zone, nountop, nountopography, nountor, nountornado, nountown, nountown centre, nountowpath, nountrack, nountract, nountrade route, nountrail, nountransatlantic, adjectivetranscontinental, adjectivetributary, nountropic, nountropical, adjectivetundra, nountyphoon, nounUK, the, uncharted, adjectiveup, adverbup-country, adjectiveuplands, nounupper, adjectiveupriver, adverbupstate, adjectiveupstream, adverbuptown, adverburban, adjectiveurbanized, adjectiveurban renewal, nounurban sprawl, nounUS, the, adjectivevalley, nounW, warm front, nounwaste, adjectivewasteland, nounwater, verbwatercourse, nounwaterfall, nounwaterfront, nounwaterhole, nounwatering place, nounwater meadow, nounwatershed, nounwater table, nounwaterway, nounweather vane, nounwest, nounwest, adjectiveWest, nounwestern, adjectiveWesterner, nounwesternmost, adjectivewestward, adverbwilderness, nounwolds, nounzoning, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES This is a complete waste of time. an underground nuclear waste dump They were standing on the waste ground (=land in a town that is not being used) behind the car park. the disposal of hazardous waste the problem of how to dispose of radioactive waste a shocking waste of money fumes from a toxic waste dump
(=for paper you throw away)· He threw her letter in the wastepaper basket.
· The rubbish bin is full.
· the risks from pollution and chemical waste
This is a complete waste of time. (=getting rid of unwanted materials or substances)· Most countries have improved their standards of waste disposal.
(=food, paper, glass etc that you throw out from the house)· More domestic waste needs to be recycled.
an underground nuclear waste dump· The booklet gives helpful tips on how to avoid wasting fuel.
(=grass, leaves etc that you have cut and do not want)· The brown bin is for garden waste.
They were standing on the waste ground (=land in a town that is not being used) behind the car park. the disposal of hazardous waste (=one that did not achieve the result you wanted)· To avoid a wasted journey, ring first to check that the event is still on.
· Don’t waste your money on a computer that doesn’t have enough memory.
· Fancy clothes for a baby are a waste of money.
(=one you do not use)· Many people see the failed talks as a missed opportunity for peace.
· What’s the best way to clear a blocked waste pipe?
the problem of how to dispose of radioactive waste· We cannot afford to waste our resources on fighting each other.
a shocking waste of money· They felt their son was wasting his talents and his time.
· You are wasting your time arguing with him.
fumes from a toxic waste dump (=a trip in which you do not achieve what you wanted to)· I’m afraid you’ve had a wasted trip. We don’t have those shoes in stock.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· I have never come across a people more obsessed with waste disposal.· Although waste disposal sites are well controlled, there is an ever present risk of pollution.· In recent years, most countries have tightened their standards of waste disposal.· California is not alone in its pessimism over the future of waste disposal.· It helps to get the lymph fluid - a vital part of the body's waste disposal system - flowing.· The subsequent examination of potential releases from processes or waste disposal, together with environmental pathways is brief.· It must also confirm that a suitable waste disposal facility will accept the shipment.· In the process, it had simply underlined the almost intractable dangers of nuclear waste disposal.
· Police had covered every piece of waste ground, undergrowth, field, wood.· Tony did as he was told and finally saw the large area of waste ground ahead.· His friend Andre Leota was later found shot dead on waste ground.· Example Charles is the owner of a piece of waste ground adjacent to his house.· He has used the waste ground to dump old cars, which he intends to renovate.· The waste ground is separated from a park by some old fencing which is in need of repair.· Their favourite walk was down across the waste ground along Deptford Creek.· On his way across the waste ground he tripped over some rusty car parts and was injured.
· The idea of recovering waste heat from air or water, and using it to heat buildings cheaply, is very attractive.· They also produce less waste heat, so complex and expensive cooling systems are not needed.· Wider use of waste heat will be encouraged and a 15 percent saving on the government energy bill sought by 1995.· As electronic components become smaller and more powerful it becomes increasingly important to extract waste heat from them.
· In 1875 and 1876 the Corporation purchased 3,000 acres of the open waste lands of the forest manors.· The wound would immediately heal, the waste land become green, and the saving hero himself be installed as king.· Punctured plastic bags blow across the adjacent plots of waste land.· He promised to plant grasses on waste land.· This place used to be what you could call a natural piece of waste land.· Caravans stand on muddy plots of waste land.· The market stretched across waste land scribbled out by tracks of vehicles.· Lying amid waste land to one side of the village, there rose the jutting silhouette of a cyclopean wall.
· Thrush also arises as a means of unloading waste material from the body.· Background: A New Jersey law banned the importation of waste materials from outside the state.· However we want mandatory standards and specifications introduced to ensure appropriate waste materials are used where available, rather than higher grade primaries.· Like anaerobic digestion, the aerobic processing of waste material produces methane which can be used as a biogas fuel.· Even drawing up proposals for recycling waste materials in Britain requires ten sub-committees.· Of course, this would be kept hidden under waste material.· The waters off North Carolina host numerous fish, a potential biological vector for transport of waste materials.· Some make combs of their waste material on which they cultivate tiny fungal mushrooms.
· Stop feeding the fish, to cut down on the waste matter being produced.· After all, it eventually produces waste matter.· They do not feed on fish excreta and waste matter.· He says that the travellers themselves are doing some clearing up, though some waste matter will be left behind.
· Pitch fibre pipes are made from waste paper and other fibres soaked in pitch.· She wiped it frantically on a piece of waste paper, and threw the crumpled paper as far away as she could.· Was lying beside dustbins and boxes of waste paper, just inside the locked gates to the yard.· The success of the system depends essentially on the segregation of waste paper for separate collection.· Accumulations of waste paper are being collected and put into red polythene liners which are collected by the cleaners.· Lily put them, unhesitatingly, in the waste paper bin.· I have not found one cigarette end or one piece of waste paper.· William I mean-today's newspapers will be lining tomorrow's waste paper bins.
· It is the biggest single concept, many others being devoted to using methane gas at waste product dumps.· The algae consumed waste products from the reef and under the intense artificial sunlight they proliferated in stringy green mats.· The nitric acid solution is then mixed with an organic solvent and the uranium and plutonium are separated from the waste products.· It is excreted in the urine as a waste product of creatine. 194.· But this alone will not purify your water of waste products that are invisible to the eye.· Elimination Elimination is the process by which waste products are excreted from the body.· A two-way hatch facilitates the serving of carefully calculated meals and the removal of waste products in the appropriate receptacles!· During the summer these may include small animals known as dinoflagellates, which produce toxic waste products.
· This could help solve one of the textile industry's biggest problems, removing colouring and chemicals from waste water.· The waste water would be drained away through a 2, 000-foot tunnel, 150 feet below the river level.· What happens to the overflowing water and also to the waste water?· Urine is processed separately through a more stringent filtration process than the waste water.· At the same time the air pump removes waste water and air from the separate condenser thus maintaining a vacuum in it.· Some of the programmes developed have succeeded in removing up to 98 percent of the solids content of waste water.· Even waste water from water changes is not allowed to go into our sewage system during this period.· For alkaline waste water, higher concentrations can be determined by using appropriately stronger acid for titration.
· Unravel waste yarn after work has been removed from machine.· The only patterns available were for hand knitting and no one had mentioned mock rib or using waste yarn.· Cast on using the weaving brushes or waste yarn, then change to main yarn. 3.· A scheme to measure the waste yarn has been introduced.· Thread with waste yarn and knit 4 rows on the main bed only.· I took the garment pieces off on waste yarn.· Remove waste yarn, join second shoulder.· Release waste yarn and hook up to jacket front in the usual way.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► lay waste something
- Save your breath. He won't listen.
- After all, it eventually produces waste matter.
- Because if they didn't, then all solid matter would simply turn to vapour.
- It tells you just about how much organic matter is present.
- It was the only solid matter they would meet this side of Jupiterstill two hundred million miles away.
- Some organic matter is needed in order to produce nice specimens.
- The quantity needed may, however, vary according to the quantity of organic matter in the raw water.
- Urban refuse is 75 percent organic matter.
- You can improve your soil by adding organic matter.
WORD FAMILYnounwastagewastewastefulnesswasterwastreladjectivewastewastefulwastedwastingverbwasteadverbwastefully
1waste materials, substances etc are unwanted because the good part of them has been removed2waste land is empty or not looked after by anyone → wasteland, → lay waste at lay2(11)