fritter

UK: /ˈfrɪtə^r/ US: /ˈfrɪtɚ/ ,(frit′ər)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

frit•ter¹ /ˈfrɪtɚ/   v. 

1. to (cause to) go to waste little by little: [~ + away + object]
   to fritter away his money on useless items.
   [~ + object + away]
   to fritter money away.

frit•ter² /ˈfrɪtɚ/   n. [countable]

1. Food a small cake of fried batter, usually containing corn, fruit, or other food.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

frit•ter¹  (frit′ər), v.t. 

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.

v.i. 

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.

n. 

5. a small piece, fragment, or shred.

• earlier fitter, derivative of fit (Old English fitt) a part 1720–30

frit′ter•er, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. dissipate, frivol away, idle away.

frit•ter²  (frit′ər), n. 

1. Food a small cake of batter, sometimes containing corn, fruit, clams, or some other ingredient, fried in deep fat or sautéed.

• Late Latin frīctūra a frying, equivalent. to Latin frict(us), past participle of frīgere to fry + -ūra -ure
• Old French friture
• Middle English friture, frytour 1350–1400

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

fritter / ˈfrɪtə/ verb (transitive)

1. (usually followed by away) to waste or squander: to fritter away time
2. to break or tear into small pieces; shred

Etymology: 18th Century: probably from obsolete fitter to break into small pieces, ultimately from Old English fitt a piece

fritter / ˈfrɪtə/ noun

1. a piece of food, such as apple or clam, that is dipped in batter and fried in deep fat

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French friture, from Latin frictus fried, roasted, from frīgere to fry, parch