Nanoparticles have a great potential to be used in waste water treatment. Its unique characteristic of having high surface area can be used efficiently for removing toxic metal ions, disease causing microbes, organic and inorganic solutes from water. Various classes of nanomaterials are also proved to be efficient for water treatment like metal-containing nanoparticles, carbonaceous nanomaterials, zeolites and dendrimers. The paper reviews recent advances on different nanomaterials (nanostructured catalytic membranes, nanosorbents, nanocatalysts, bioactive nanoparticles, biomimetic membrane and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs)) with their application in waste water treatment. Nanotechnology has lead to various efficient ways for treatment of waste water in a more precise and accurate way on both small and large scale.