Meaning & use
fritter away
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Meanings
phrasetransitive
To waste time, money, or an opportunity gradually on unimportant things.
Grammar: Takes an object: fritter away your savings. The object can go between fritter and away: fritter your savings away.
Patterns
- fritter away something
- fritter something away
- fritter away time/money/opportunity
He frittered away his entire inheritance on lottery tickets and expensive gadgets.
She frittered away the whole afternoon watching videos instead of studying for her exam.
Don't fritter away this chance to work abroad—it may not come again.
phrasetransitive
To gradually use up or lose something valuable through careless behavior.
Grammar: Often used with abstract nouns like 'energy', 'strength', or 'goodwill'. The object can come before or after 'away'.
Patterns
- fritter away energy
- fritter away goodwill
- fritter away resources
The team frittered away its early lead by making silly mistakes.
He frittered away his energy on arguments that didn't matter.
The company frittered away its good reputation by ignoring customer complaints.
Word forms
| third person singular | fritters away |
|---|---|
| past tense | frittered away |
| past participle | frittered away |
| -ing form | frittering away |
Common combinations
- fritter away time
- He frittered away time on social media instead of finishing his report.
- fritter away money
- They frittered away money on things they never used.
- fritter away an opportunity
- She frittered away the opportunity to study with a famous professor.
- fritter away a lead
- The team frittered away a two-goal lead in the final minutes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- squander
- More formal and often suggests wasting something large or important; 'fritter away' is more about wasting gradually on small things.
- waste
- The general word; it can be used for any kind of waste, while 'fritter away' emphasizes a slow, careless process.
- dissipate
- Literary or formal; often used for energy or resources that scatter and disappear, not for time or money in everyday contexts.
Opposites
Word family
- fritter noun
- A small fried cake or piece of food, not related in meaning to the phrasal verb.
Commonly confused: fritter away or filter? fritter away or flutter?
fritter away vs filter
A different word meaning to pass liquid or light through something; 'fritter' has a double t and is only used in the phrasal verb.
fritter away vs flutter
Means to move lightly and quickly, like a bird's wings; it sounds similar but has no connection to wasting.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence using 'fritter away'.
Choose one answer.
The object usually comes after 'away' or between 'fritter' and 'away'. Option 1 is correct. Option 2 is also possible but less common; option 3 and 4 place the object incorrectly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fritter away”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.