Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - waste

~1 n 1 »BAD USE« things such as money or skills that should be used and are not, or that are not used effectively  (waste in government departments) + of  (Being unemployed is such a waste of your talents.) 2 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.) 3 go to waste to be wasted  (Don't let all this food go to waste.) 4 »UNWANTED MATERIALS« unwanted materials or substances that are left after you have used something  (It's a good idea to recycle household waste. | industrial/chemical etc waste)  (Industrial waste has found its way into the water supply.) 5 a waste of space spoken someone who has no good qualities  (That woman is a complete waste of space!) 6 »LAND« C usually plural especially literary a large empty or useless area of land  (the icy wastes of Antarctica)  (- see also wasteland) ~2 v 1 »NOT USE SENSIBLY« to use more money, time, energy etc than you should, or use it in a way that is not useful or sensible  (Leaving the heating on all the time wastes electricity. | waste sth on)  (Don't waste your money on that junk!) 2 waste your breath spoken to say something that has no effect  (Don't try to reason with Paul - you're wasting your breath..) 3 waste no time (in) doing sth to do something as quickly as you can because it will help you  (Sandy wasted no time in getting to know the boss's daughter.) 4 be wasted on sb if something is wasted on someone they are too stupid or unsuitable to be able to use or enjoy it  (Her words of advice were wasted on me.) 5 be wasted in sth if someone is wasted in a job etc, they are not using all of their abilities  (Hannah's wasted in that clerical job.) 6 »BECAUSE OF ILLNESS« if an illness wastes someone, they become thinner and weaker  (- see also wasted (3), wasting) 7 waste not, want not spoken used to say that if you use what you have carefully, you will not be left with nothing later 8 »HARM SB« slang especially AmE to kill someone, severely injure them, or defeat them waste away phr v to gradually become thinner and weaker, usually because you are ill ~3 adj 1 waste materials, substances etc are unwanted because the good part of them has been removed 2 used for holding or carrying away materials and substances that are no longer wanted  (a waste pipe | a waste tank) 3 waste land is empty or not fit to be used  (- see also waste1 (6), wasteland, lay waste lay1)