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to waste

to waste

143 5.1
To become thin and weak because of illness or a lack of food
  • verb
  • /weɪst/
translation icon : 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
110 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 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 waste away
vsto waste
7 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 pine away
vsto waste
4 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 emaciate
vsto waste
3 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
to macerate
vsto waste
  • Archaic
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

Antonyms

241 3.2

To grow well and be successful

49 3.2

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

Idioms

14 8.8

An action that causes great damage to places and people

A situation that needs action right away

Use things carefully so you do not run out later

So good that it should not be thrown away

Phrasal Verbs

728 1.6

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

To destroy a place and leave it ruined

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

Use time or effort in a way that achieves little

To spend time on things that are not useful

Compounds

126 2.7

An activity that takes time but does not help you

36 3.5

Poisonous materials people throw away that can harm health or nature

An amount of money spent without getting a useful result

radioactive waste
  • Specialized
12 5.0

Unwanted material from nuclear power that gives off radiation

8 2.7

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

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

6 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

An activity that uses your time but does not help you

An action that uses effort but achieves nothing useful

toxic waste site
  • Specialized
2 4.4

A place where dangerous chemical waste is stored or dumped

Things like old or broken items that are thrown away

2 1.3

A container with an open top for small trash like paper

waste of skin
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person seen as having no value or use

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

1 1.1

Paper that people throw away after use

1 4.2

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

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

body waste
  • NSFW
1 2.7

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

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

1 4.7

Poisonous waste from factories that can harm people and nature

Using or throwing away materials so usable parts are lost

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

toxic waste area
  • Specialized
4.6

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

Things people throw away because they are not useful

waste baler
  • Specialized
5.6

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

3.0

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

7.2

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

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

An area of land where people put rubbish

How Thin

to emaciate
3 8.9
to waste
143 5.1
to slim down
5 3.0
to lose fat
4 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.