Oxford Business English Dictionary for Learners of English

wasteful /'weistfl/ adjective using more of sth such as money or resources than is necessary; not saving or keeping sth that could be used: The whole process is wasteful and inefficient, о a wasteful use of resources

.waste product noun [c] (,Manufacturing) a useless material or substance that is produced while sth else is being made: This acid is a waste product of the production of certain plastics.

О to break down/dispose of/recycle/remove waste products

.wasting'asset noun [c](Accounting) a thing of value that a company owns that will only last or be useful for a fixed period of time, for example, a lease or a piece of equipment

watchdog /'wDtldog; AmE 'wa:tjcto:g; W.tJ-/ noun [c]

see also: consumer watchdog

601 wealth effect

watershed in the relationship between the company and the unions.

2 [sing.] in the UK, the time before which programmes that are not considered suitable for children must not be shown on television: A number of people complained that the advertisement was too violent and should not have been shown before the watershed.

WATS /wots; AmE wo:ts/ abbr [AmE) [IT) Wide Area Telecommunications Service a

service that allows companies to make and receive large numbers of phone calls to and from places that are far away at a low cost

wave /weiv/ noun [c]

a sudden increase in a particular activity or feeling: The region is experiencing a wave of investment.

[Technical) the form that some types of energy such as heat, sound, light, etc. take as they move

idiom at ride verb

waybill /'weibil/ noun [C] [abbr WB) ('Transport) a document that gives information about goods that are being transported, where they are going and who they must be delivered to

WB /.dAblju: "bi:/ = waybill

WDV /.dAblju: di: 'vi:/ = written-down value

weak /wi:k/ adjective (weaker, weakest)

not very great: a weak market share о weak consumer spending о weaker-than-expected results

not financially strong or successful: The clothing company was the weakest performer with a 25% drop in sales.

(about prices, markets, etc.) moving towards a lower level; falling: The industry is suffering from falling demand and weaker prices, о The weak dollar has encouraged many foreigners to visit America. [opp] strong

► weakness /'wi:knas/ noun [U,C]: the weakness of the pound against the dollar

weaken /'wi:kan/ verb [+ obj or no obj]

to make sb/sth less strong or powerful; to become less strong or powerful: The recession has weakened demand for luxury goods.

to make a currency, market etc. move towards a lower level; to fall: If the yen weakens it will help Japan's export sector.

See note at currency

wealth /welO/ noun

[U] a large amount of money, property, etc. that a person or country owns; how much money, etc. a person or a country has: His personal wealth is estimated at $100 million, о the country's diamond and mineral wealth о The purpose of industry is to create wealth, о The figures tell us nothing about the distribution of wealth in the population.

О household/national/personal/private wealth ♦ commercial/economic/financial/industrial wealth ♦ to create/distribute/generate/manage/ redistribute wealth ♦ wealth creation/management

[sing.] a large amount of sth worth having: The new manager brings a great wealth of experience to the job.

О a wealth of detail/experience/information/talent

'wealth ef.fectnoun [sing.] [Economics) an increase in the amount of money that consumers spend when the value of their investments and assets rises: the wealth effect of rising house prices о the negative wealth effect of recent stock market falls (= people are spending less)

wealth tax 602

'wealth tax noiur^t),c] a tax that only very rich people have to pay