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fritter away

B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

To slowly waste something valuable — like money or time — on lots of little things that don't matter.

Literal meaning: Historically, 'fritter' referred to breaking into small pieces — the idea is of something being broken into trivial fragments and wasted.

Meanings

1 B2 idiomatic neutral

To waste money by spending it gradually on many small, unimportant things.

"She frittered away her savings on clothes and takeaways without realising how much she'd spent."

"He had frittered away the family money."

— George Orwell, 'Keep the Aspidistra Flying' (1936)
Grammar: separable
2 B2 idiomatic neutral

To waste time or opportunities by spending them on trivial activities rather than productive ones.

"He frittered away the entire afternoon scrolling through social media."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Used in both British and American English. Frequently used with 'money', 'time', 'savings', 'energy', and 'opportunities'. The word 'fritter' alone can carry the same meaning but the phrasal form with 'away' is more common.

Commonly used with

money time savings energy opportunities resources

Forms

Base
fritter away
I/you/we/they
3rd person
fritters away
he/she/it
Past simple
frittered away
yesterday
Past participle
frittered away
have + pp
-ing form
frittering away
continuous

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Synonyms

squander waste blow dissipate throw away misspend

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