waste
noun [C or U] (UNWANTED MATTER) /weɪst/Definition
B1 unwanted matter or material of any type, especially what is left after useful substances or parts have been removed: Britain produces 20 million tonnes of household waste each year. He opposes any kind of nuclear waste being dumped at sea. Millions of gallons of untreated human waste (= excrement) flow into the river every day. Oil spills are common, as is the dumping of toxic industrial wastes. The Japanese recycle more than half of their waste paper.Rubbish and wasteEnvironmental issues
(Definition of waste noun (UNWANTED MATTER) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse the Dictionary
Browse the Thesaurus
More Results for “waste”
SMART Thesaurus
Synonyms and related words:
- debris noun
- detritus noun
- dross noun
- effluent noun
- flotsam noun
- froth noun (NOT SERIOUS)
- jetsam noun
- jumble noun (OLD THINGS)
- junk noun (RUBBISH)
- kitsch noun
- litter verb
- refuse noun
- rubbish noun
- rubble noun
- schlock noun
- scrap heap noun
- scrap noun (METAL)
- spoil noun (EARTH)
- tat noun (LOW QUALITY)
- waste product noun
Topic:
Rubbish and waste
Word of the Day
a cloud on the horizon
something which threatens to cause problems or unhappiness in the future
Blog
Read our blog about how the English language behaves.
New Words
Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.
