Also means
squandering
Usage Note
Spreco is masculine; its plural is sprechi (the -co/-chi pattern). It refers to wasteful use of resources — uno spreco di denaro/tempo ('a waste of money/time'). The related verb is sprecare; the adjective sprecone means 'wasteful person' (colloquial). Not a false friend, but learners sometimes confuse it with sfregio ('scar, affront').
Examples
"Buttare via quel cibo è uno spreco enorme."
Natural Translation
Throwing away that food is an enormous waste.
Related Words
Explore Italian by topic