go to waste

VERB

waste

Synonyms

STRONGEST

blow consume deplete dissipate divert drain exhaust lavish lose misuse squander undermine

STRONG

atrophy corrode crumble debilitate decay decline decrease disable disappear droop ebb emaciate empty enfeeble fade gnaw misapply perish sap sink splurge thin wane wear wilt wither

WEAK

be of no avail burn up eat away fritter away frivol away gamble away misemploy pour down the drain run dry run through throw away trifle away wear out

Antonyms

STRONGEST

accumulate collect fill gather hoard maintain save starve succeed

STRONG

aid assist bloom build develop grow help improve increase raise rise strengthen

WEAK

create preserve

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To paraphrase some anonymous wag, never let a cross-cultural calamity go to waste.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

The results suggest that tyrannosaurs did not let resources go to waste.

From Science Daily • May 5, 2026

The drippings, on that first night, don’t go to waste: they’re coaxed into something worthy of the occasion, slicked over potatoes or spooned onto rice, greener and more herb-laced than you might expect.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026

Rather than letting them go to waste, Dawn-Maria re-gifted them to a green-fingered friend.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025

It was her second favorite subject, besides how smart Alice was, and how pretty, and how talented, and how it would all go to waste if Gladys Herdman bit her to death.

From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson

go to waste

Example Sentences

Related Words