waste

Word family  noun wastage waste wastefulness waster wastrel adjective waste wasteful wasted wasting verb waste adverb wastefully

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++waste1 /weɪst/ ●●● S2 W3 noun  1  bad use 使用不当 [singular, uncountable]WASTE something when something such as money or skills are not used in a way that is effective, useful, or sensible 〔金钱或技能等的〕浪费waste of Being unemployed is such a waste of your talents. 失业简直是浪费了你的才能。 Many believe that state aid is a waste of taxpayers’ money. 许多人认为政府援助是浪费纳税人的钱。 What a waste of all that good work! 真是白辛苦了！ excessive waste in state spending 政府支出方面的过度浪费2  go to waste WASTE somethingif something goes to waste, it is not used 被浪费掉 Don’t let all this food go to waste. 别让这些食物白白浪费掉。3  be a waste of time/money/effort etc POINTLESSto be not worth the time, money etc that you use because there is little or no result 是浪费时间/金钱/精力等 We should never have gone – it was a total waste of time. 我们真不该去——那纯粹是浪费时间。4  unwanted materials 废料 [uncountable]RUBBISH/WASTE unwanted materials or substances that are left after you have used something 废料，废弃物 The emphasis now is on recycling waste. 目前的重点是废弃物的再利用。 → nuclear waste, toxic waste →4  See picture on 见图 Page A6 Environmental problems 环境问题5. a waste of space spokenUSELESS someone who has no good qualities 一无是处的人6  LAND 土地wastes [plural] literary a large area of land where there are very few people, plants, or animals 人烟稀少的地区，荒芜地区；荒原wastes of the icy wastes of Antarctica 南极洲冰原icy/frozen/snowy etc wastes 冰原/冻原/雪原等 → waste ground, wasteland COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 4: unwanted materials or substances that are left after you have used something 废料，废弃物verbsrecycle waste 回收废弃物How much of our household waste is recycled? 我们的家庭垃圾有多少得到了回收？dispose of waste 处理废弃物environmentally friendly ways to dispose of waste 对环境无害的垃圾处理方式dump waste 倾倒垃圾nThey were fined for illegally dumping waste.nincinerate waste (=burn it)For many years, solid waste was incinerated.nreprocess waste (=treat radioactive waste so that it can be used again)The plant reprocesses nuclear waste.adjectiveshousehold/domestic waste 家庭垃圾Newspapers and magazines make up 10% of household waste. 报纸和杂志占家庭垃圾的10%。industrial/chemical waste 工业/化学废料pollution caused by industrial waste 工业废料导致的污染hazardous/toxic waste 有害/有毒废弃物nthe illegal dumping of hazardous wasteradioactive/nuclear waste 放射性/核废物nplans for the safe transportation of radioactive wastenorganic waste (=waste from plants, fruits, and vegetables)Organic waste can be composted to make garden fertilizer.human waste (=from people going to the toilet) 人体排泄物nThe prison was full of the smell of human waste.waste + NOUNa waste pipe 污水管，排水管a washing machine waste pipe 洗衣机排水管

Examples from the Corpus

waste• But it was also a mark of his belief that gossip was simply a waste of time.• The Commission has already proposed establishing a compensation fund for damage caused by waste.• In the absence of domestic reprocessing facilities, waste is rapidly piling up in storage.• The operation made financial and environmental sense by eliminating the need to use a hazardous waste site.• It's a good idea to recycle household waste.• the icy wastes of Antarctica• Industrial waste had leaked into the water supply.• Too much waste has been dumped into the North Sea.• The costs of waste disposal are rising all the time.• The committee will study the issue of waste in state spending.• The site is expected to begin receiving waste during the next few weeks.• 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 government has announced a ban on all imports of toxic waste from abroad.What a waste• Four people went in before Alice. What a waste of time.• They spend most of their time on the two-years-and-under crowd. What a waste.• None gave the Tories a hope of being elected with a working majority. What a waste of time and money.• There was to be more submission. What a waste of life!waste2 ●●● S2 W3 verb [transitive]  1  not use sensibly 不合理地使用WASTE something to use more money, time, energy etc than is useful or sensible 滥用，浪费〔金钱、时间、精力等〕 Leaving the heating on all the time wastes electricity. 让暖气整天开着是浪费电力。waste something on somebody/something Don’t waste your money on that junk! 别把钱浪费在那种垃圾上！2  not use fully 未充分使用 to not make full use of someone or something 没有充分利用 Hannah is wasted in that clerical job. 汉娜干那种文书工作是大材小用。 His talents were being wasted as a lawyer. 他有那样的才华，当律师真是浪费。n Grammar Waste is usually passive in this meaning.3  be wasted on somebody STUPID/NOT SENSIBLEif something is wasted on someone, they do not understand how good or useful it is 〔某物〕浪费在某人身上〔因为此人不懂其好处〕 Her good advice was wasted on the children. 她对孩子们的规劝是白费口舌了。4  waste your breath spokenPOINTLESS to say something that has no effect 浪费口水，白费唇舌 Don’t try to reason with Paul – you’re wasting your breath. 不要跟保罗讲理了——你是白费唇舌。5  waste no time (in) doing something FAST/QUICKto do something as quickly as you can because it will help you 〔因对自己有帮助而〕不失时机地做某事，赶紧做某事 He wasted no time in introducing himself. 他赶忙自我介绍。6. waste not, want notwant not waste not spokenCAREFUL used to say that if you use what you have carefully, you will still have some of it if you need it later 勤俭节约，吃穿不缺7. harm SB 伤害某人 American English informalINJUREBEAT/DEFEAT to kill someone, severely injure them, or defeat them 杀死；严重伤害；打败8.waste away phrasal verb MITHIN PERSONto gradually become thinner and weaker, usually because you are ill 〔通常因有病而〕逐渐消瘦虚弱→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

waste• I wasted 40 minutes waiting for a bus this morning.• You actually hope the time and money spent on insurance will be wasted.• Bill wastes all his money on beer and cigarettes.• He had a remote manner and didn't waste an atom of energy talking to anyone on the set except Zimmer.• The school kitchen wastes an awful lot of food.• Let's not waste any more time on this.• By fencing money into line items, in other words, we waste billions of dollars every year.• I felt enough time had been wasted, but time didn't seem to mean anything to Brando.• Don't leave the light on - you're wasting electricity.• Sometimes she feels she's wasted her life.• Back in the United States, Alvin wasted no time in proposing ways of doing that on future modern dance tours.• She wasted no time in writing to me and commanding me to return home at once.• One of the men threatened to waste the bank teller if he didn't get the money.• Stop wasting time. We have to finish this by five o'clock.• I must have wasted two whole hours trying to fix this machine.• The guests with a morning to waste until the ceremony at two o'clock got under everyone's feet.• Letting the water run while you brush your teeth wastes water.waste something on somebody/something• I can't believe you wasted $500 on a new dress!

Related topics: Geography

waste3 ●●○ W3 adjective [only before noun]  1. SGwaste materials, substances etc are unwanted because the good part of them has been removed 〔材料、物质等〕废弃的，无用的2. SGAREAwaste land is empty or not looked after by anyone 〔土地〕荒芜的，荒废的 → wasteland, → lay waste at lay2(11)

Examples from the Corpus

waste• Nor are waste dumps the only things being shaken-up.• Inefficient recovery practices have left metal-rich waste dumps which have often been levelled or used as roadstone.• The waste form and the cannister should act as barriers for 1000 years each.• 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.• The waters off North Carolina host numerous fish, a potential biological vector for transport of waste materials.• a sewage waste pipe• a waste tankFrom Longman Business Dictionarywastewaste1 /weɪst/ noun1[uncountable] unwanted materials or substances that are left after a particular processThe factory’s byproduct waste is used to feed pigs.illegal disposal ofhazardous wasteOur primary business is industrial waste collection, treatment and disposal services.government guidelines fortoxic waste disposal2[singular, uncountable] things such as money or skills that should be used effectively, but are notTry as he might, the new manager couldn’t overcome the waste and inefficiency that had plagued the plant for years.Sales of natural gas at present prices would be awaste of companyassets. —waste adjective [only before a noun]the recycling of waste materialswastewaste2 verb [transitive] to use more of something, especially time or money, than you need to, or use it in a way that is not sensibleA prominent economist has suggested that the government wasted $200 billion during the oil-price boom.We waste a lot of time and legal fees on defending our trademarks rather than tending to business.→ See Verb tableOrigin waste1 1. (1200-1300) → WASTE22. (1100-1200) Old North French wast, from wast (adjective); → WASTE3 waste2 (1200-1300) Old North French waster, from Latin vastare; → DEVASTATE waste3 (1200-1300) Old North French wast, from Latin vastus; → VAST

waste1 noun →COLLOCATIONS1waste2 verb →n GRAMMAR1waste3 adjectiveLDOCE OnlineChinese  

when money as or Business Corpus such something

waste

I

waste¹ S2 W3 /weɪst/ noun1.  BAD USE  [singular, uncountable] when something such as money or skills are not used in a way that is effective, useful, or sensible
    waste 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 spending
2. go to waste if something goes to waste, it is not used:
    Don’t let all this food go to waste.
3. be 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.
4.  UNWANTED MATERIALS  [uncountable] unwanted materials or substances that are left after you have used something:
    The emphasis now is on recycling waste. ⇨ nuclear waste, toxic waste
5. a waste of space spoken someone who has no good qualities
6.  LAND wastes [plural] literary a large area of land where there are very few people, plants, or animals
    wastes of
    the icy wastes of Antarctica
    icy/frozen/snowy etc wastes
⇨ waste ground, wasteland
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 4)

■ verbs
   ▪ recycle waste How much of our household waste is recycled?
   ▪ dispose of waste environmentally friendly ways to dispose of waste
   ▪ dump 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.
■ adjectives
   ▪ household/domestic waste Newspapers and magazines make up 10% of household waste.
   ▪ industrial/chemical waste pollution caused by industrial waste
   ▪ hazardous/toxic waste the illegal dumping of hazardous waste
   ▪ radioactive/nuclear waste plans for the safe transportation of radioactive waste
   ▪ organic 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 + NOUN
   ▪ a waste pipe a washing machine waste pipe
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ rubbish 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
   ▪ garbage/trash American English rubbish: The garbage is collected every Tuesday. | There were piles of trash in the backyard. | a black plastic garbage bag
   ▪ refuse formal rubbish: The strike has disrupted refuse collection. | It’s a site which is used for domestic refuse.
   ▪ litter 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.
   ▪ waste 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.

II

waste² S2 W3 verb [transitive]1.  NOT 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!
2.  NOT USE FULLY  [usually passive] to not make full use of someone or something:
    Hannah’s wasted in that clerical job.
    His talents were being wasted as a lawyer.
3. be 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.
4. waste your breath spoken to say something that has no effect:
    Don’t try to reason with Paul – you’re wasting your breath.
5. waste 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.
6. waste 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 later
7.  HARM SOMEBODY American English informal to kill someone, severely injure them, or defeat them
     
waste away phrasal verb
  to gradually become thinner and weaker, usually because you are ill

III

waste³ W3 adjective [only before noun]1. waste materials, substances etc are unwanted because the good part of them has been removed
2. waste land is empty or not looked after by anyone
⇨ wasteland, ⇨ lay waste at lay²(11)