Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Nearby Entries
Frittered - 2 dictionary results

frit⋅ter

1  [frit-er]
Use Frittered in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to squander or disperse piecemeal; waste little by little (usually fol. by away): to fritter away one's money; to fritter away an afternoon.
2. to break or tear into small pieces or shreds.
–verb (used without object)
3. to dwindle, shrink, degenerate, etc. (often fol. by away): to watch one's fortune fritter away.
4. to separate or break into fragments: a plastic material having a tendency to fritter.
–noun
5. a small piece, fragment, or shred.
Origin:
1720–30; earlier fitter, deriv. of fit (OE fitt) a part

Related forms:
frit⋅ter⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1. dissipate, frivol away, idle away.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Frittered
frit·ter 1   (frĭt'ər)   
tr.v.   frit·tered, frit·ter·ing, frit·ters
  1. To reduce or squander little by little: frittered his inheritance away. See Synonyms at waste.
  2. To break, tear, or cut into bits; shred.

[Probably from fritter, fragment, probably alteration of fitters, from fitter, to break into small pieces.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see Frittered on Thesaurus | Reference