waste of time

Meaning

This expression refers to an activity that is not worth the time or effort spent on it because it produces no useful result. It is highly casual and often carries a tone of frustration, disappointment, or dismissal. You can use it to describe bad movies, unproductive meetings, or pointless tasks.

Examples

• Don't bother watching that movie; it was a complete waste of time.

  Don't bother watching that movie; it was a complete waste of time.

• Waiting in that long queue turned out to be a total waste of time.

  Waiting in that long queue turned out to be a total waste of time.

• Trying to argue with him is just a waste of time because he never listens.

  Trying to argue with him is just a waste of time because he never listens.

• I regret going to that seminar; it was a huge waste of time and money.

  I regret going to that seminar; it was a huge waste of time and money.

• She felt that filling out the endless paperwork was a waste of time.

  She felt that filling out the endless paperwork was a waste of time.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ That meeting was a lose of time.

  ✓ That meeting was a waste of time.

  Learners often translate literally from other languages using 'lose' (verb) or 'loss' (noun) instead of the correct collocation 'waste of time'.

• ✗ It is waste of time to wait here.

  ✓ It is a waste of time to wait here.

  Don't forget the indefinite article 'a' before 'waste of time' when using it as a singular noun phrase in this structure.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Don't buy that cheap tool; it's a complete ___.

  💡 something not worth the effort

  Show answer

  waste of time

• I spent three hours fixing this, but it was a ___ because it broke again.

  💡 an unproductive use of your hours

  Show answer

  waste of time