dissipate

C2 · Proficiency Formal

v. to waste something, like money or time, in a foolish way.

v. to squander or expend resources wastefully or foolishly. Transitive in this sense.

“He dissipated his small fortune on expensive cars and luxury holidays.”

“The heir was criticized for how quickly he dissipated the family's hard-earned wealth on speculative investments and extravagant social events.”

C1 · Advanced Science Technical

v. to lose energy by turning it into heat.

v. to cause energy to be lost through its conversion into a non-mechanical form, typically heat.

“The brakes on the car dissipate energy as heat when you slow down.”

“The heat sink is designed to dissipate thermal energy away from the processor to prevent the system from overheating during intensive tasks.”

C2 · Proficiency Archaic · Formal

v. to spend too much time and money on physical pleasures like drinking.

v. to engage in excessive or dissolute pursuit of pleasure. Intransitive and increasingly rare in modern speech.

“In the novel, the young man travels to the city only to dissipate in bars.”

“Victorian literature often features a protagonist who leaves the countryside only to dissipate his health and morals in the dark corners of London.”