phrasal verb · neutral
go to waste
UK/ɡəʊ tə weɪst/US/ɡoʊ tə weɪst/go to WASTE
task2speaking
to be wasted or not used in a useful way
Examples
“It's a shame to let food go to waste when so many people are hungry.”
“We can't allow this opportunity to go to waste.”
“If you don't use your skills, they will go to waste.”
Band 8 sentence
“We should redistribute surplus food so it doesn't go to waste while people are hungry.”
Collocations
- let something go to waste
- go to waste because of poor planning
Word family
go to waste vgoes to waste vwent to waste vgone to waste v
Common mistakes
let it go waste→let it go to waste
went to the waste→went to waste
Say it for a higher band
5be wasted→6become wasted→7+go to waste
Synonyms
be wasted
be squandered
Easily confused
be wasted
“If unused, those supplies will be wasted.”
Related words
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In go …
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