■ verb
1》 use carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose.
↘(usu. be ~d on ) expend on an unappreciative recipient: small talk was ~d on him.
↘fail to make full or good use of.
2》 (often ~ away ) become progressively weaker and more emaciated.
3》 literary lay ~ to.
4》 N. Amer. informal kill or severely injure.
5》 [as adjective ~d ] informal under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.
6》 literary (of time) pass away.
■ adjective
1》 eliminated or discarded as no longer useful or required.
2》 (of an area of land, typically an urban one) not used, cultivated, or built on.
■ noun
1》 an act or instance of wasting.
2》 unusable or unwanted material.
3》 a large area of barren, typically uninhabited land.
4》 Law damage to an estate caused by an act or by neglect, especially by a life tenant.
Phrases
go to ~ be ~d.
lay ~ to (or lay something (to) ~ ) completely destroy.
~ of space informal a person perceived as useless.
Origin
ME: from Old North. Fr. wast(e) (n.), ~r (v.), based on L. vastus 'unoccupied, uncultivated'.