Fritter

/ˈfrɪtər/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A small cake or patty made of batter or bread dough, usually fried.

She served sweet apple fritters for dessert.

A type of food that can be filled with various ingredients and is typically deep-fried.

The restaurant is famous for its seafood fritters.

verb

To waste time or money on unimportant matters.

He frittered away his savings on useless gadgets.

To squander or dissipate gradually.

They frittered their hours away instead of studying for the exam.

Middle English 'friture', from Old French 'friture', from 'frit', meaning 'fried'.

fritter away

To waste something, especially time or money.

fritter on

To spend time doing trivial tasks instead of important ones.

batter

A mixture of flour, eggs, and milk used to make cakes and pastries.

fry

To cook food in hot fat or oil.

cake

A sweet baked food made from a mixture of flour, sugar, and other ingredients.

To waste resources foolishly.

Stop frittering away your talents on things that don't matter.

To spend time dawdling.

He’s just frittering his summer away playing video games.