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to waste

to waste

23 5.1
To become thin and weak because of illness or a lack of food
  • verb
  • /weɪst/
: consumirse
  • But neither of them want to see their lover waste away, so they have to live in separate worlds.
  • waste away
  • muscle wasting
  • wasted body

Examples

  • Kathleen stood up, and I saw that her always small frame was now wasted further by abuse.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • You're wasting away.

  • Would you lie there and waste away, or would you try and get up?

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Her half-crippled mom is out there wasting away in that nursing home.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • I'm wasting away!

  • As he battled the illness, his body began to waste away from lack of proper nutrition.

  • After months of neglect, the once vibrant plant started to waste away due to insufficient care.

  • The patient was wasting away, prompting the doctors to intervene with a special feeding plan.

Synonyms

to rot
vsto waste
139 4.6

To become weak and sick over time, often from illness or neglect

is broader, applying to weakness from illness, neglect, or lack of nourishment
to languish
vsto waste
32 7.2

To become weak and lose energy because of neglect or sadness

is more physical, stressing body weakening from illness or lack of food
to waste away
vsto waste
29 5.5

To become weak and thin because of sickness or not eating enough

is the shorter single-word form rather than the phrasal expression
to atrophy
vsto waste
  • Specialized
9 7.8

To become smaller and weaker, especially muscles, from not being used

is broader, applying to whole-body weakening rather than just tissues
to pine away
vsto waste
5 8.3

Become weak and thin because you miss someone or something

is used for physical weakening from illness or poor nourishment rather than sadness
to macerate
vsto waste
  • Archaic
1 9.5

To make a person or animal very thin and weak by not eating enough

describes becoming weak or thin rather than causing that change to happen
to emaciate
vsto waste
1 8.9

To make someone very thin and weak because of illness or lack of food

is milder, meaning general physical weakening rather than extreme thinness

Antonyms

233 3.2

To grow well and be successful

45 3.2

To give food and care so a person, animal, or plant grows and stays healthy

Idioms

A situation that needs action right away

10 8.8

An action that causes great damage to places and people

Use things carefully so you do not run out later

So good that it should not be thrown away

Phrasal Verbs

670 1.6

To spend time doing things that are not useful instead of doing something more useful

Use time or effort in a way that achieves little

29 5.5

To become weak and thin because of sickness or not eating enough

To destroy a place and leave it ruined

To spend time on things that are not useful

Compounds

229 2.7

An activity that takes time but does not help you

An amount of money spent without getting a useful result

38 3.5

Poisonous materials people throw away that can harm health or nature

15 2.7

Uneaten or leftover food that people throw away from homes and shops

radioactive waste
  • Specialized
14 5.0

Unwanted material from nuclear power that gives off radiation

An action that uses effort but achieves nothing useful

A thing made and thrown away by a factory, machine, or body

An activity that uses your time but does not help you

7 3.5

Dirty substances that people get rid of from their bodies, like urine and feces

A place where people leave dangerous chemicals, often illegally

Things like old or broken items that are thrown away

5 1.3

A container with an open top for small trash like paper

An action that uses time and energy but gives no useful result

2 1.1

Paper that people throw away after use

waste of skin
  • Offensive
2 9.9

A person seen as having no value or use

2 4.2

A way to stop making trash by reusing, recycling and using fewer things

toxic waste site
  • Specialized
2 4.4

A place where dangerous chemical waste is stored or dumped

body waste
  • NSFW
1 2.7

Things the body gets rid of, like urine, sweat, and feces

1 6.5

Radioactive material from medical tests and hospital procedures that has low radiation and needs safe handling

1 7.8

Highly radioactive material left after nuclear fuel is used that needs safe storage for a long time

A thing like time or money that is completely useless and gives no benefit

Using or throwing away materials so usable parts are lost

1 1.9

Things people throw away because they are not useful

A small open container for throwing away paper and other small rubbish

1 4.7

Poisonous waste from factories that can harm people and nature

1 3.0

A pipe that carries away dirty water from a sink or bath

1 4.8

An area of land where people put rubbish

toxic waste area
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A place where people dump poisonous materials that must be cleaned because they can harm people or nature

9.9

A property loses value when a tenant fails to take care of it

9.9

A rude phrase for something completely pointless and not worth your time

waste baler
  • Specialized
5.6

A machine that presses waste like cardboard or plastic into tight bundles for easier handling

7.2

A large shallow pond that treats sewage using sunlight and bacteria and algae

How Thin

to emaciate
1 8.9
to waste
23 5.1
to slim down
12 3.0
to lose fat
12 3.0

Surface Forms

waste infinitive
wasted past
wasted past participle
wasting present participle
wastes third person singular

Etymology

Waste as in 'waste away' comes from the old idea of being destroyed or lost (from wāstan), so to waste in this sense is to slowly become weak or thin as if being worn away.