discard

1 of 2

verb

dis·​card dis-ˈkärd How to pronounce discard (audio)
ˈdis-ˌkärd
discarded; discarding; discards

transitive verb

1
: to get rid of especially as useless or unwanted
a pile of discarded tires
They quickly discarded the idea.
2
a
: to remove (a playing card) from one's hand (see hand entry 1 sense 7a(1))
discarded an ace
b
: to play (any card except a trump) from a suit different from the one led

intransitive verb

: to discard a playing card
discard at the end of your turn
discardable
dis-ˈkärd-də-bəl How to pronounce discard (audio)
ˈdis-ˌkär-
adjective
discarder noun

discard

2 of 2

noun

dis·​card ˈdis-ˌkärd How to pronounce discard (audio)
1
a
: the act of removing a playing card from one's hand : the act of discarding (see discard entry 1 sense 2a)
b
: a card discarded
collected the discards
2
: one that is cast off or rejected
Choose the Right Synonym for discard

discard, cast, shed, slough, scrap, junk mean to get rid of.

discard implies the letting go or throwing away of something that has become useless or superfluous though often not intrinsically valueless.

discard old clothes

cast, especially when used with off, away, or out, implies a forceful rejection or repudiation.

cast off her friends

shed and slough imply a throwing off of something both useless and encumbering and often suggest a consequent renewal of vitality or luster.

shed a bad habit
finally sloughed off the depression

scrap and junk imply throwing away or breaking up as worthless in existent form.

scrap all the old ways
would junk our educational system

Examples of discard in a Sentence

Verb Remove and discard the stems. a pile of discarded tires She discarded the six of hearts. Noun toss all of your discards in the garbage
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The site had once been dotted with bright pink tents — activists had upcycled camping tents discarded by the breast-cancer organization Susan G. Komen for the Cure — but those and other tents had been unable to withstand the area’s powerful winds for more than a few days at a time. Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2024 There was a $15 online notary fee to discard the sperm, Puca said. Amber Ferguson, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 The nature-forward visual — which Smith directed — begins with Smith and two friends strolling in a forest, where the singer finds, and discards, a snail shell before laying on her back in the leaves to begin her Tori Amos-like musings about the mysteries of the universe. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024 The reservoir was low, the yucca plants were going to seed, and discarded Starbucks cups blew across the road like tumbleweed. Maya Binyam, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Tokens are not a sideshow of blockchain networks, a nuisance that can be stripped out and discarded. Chris Dixon, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2024 Inspectors also saw a cut melon on a push cart near a prep sink, and asked employees to discard the fruit. Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024 The recent incidents build on previous research that these killer whales predominantly target the livers of white sharks and discard the rest of the carcass. Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 As the time the kidney sits outside the body increases, and every decline increases the chances the kidney gets discarded. Joshua Mezrich, STAT, 2 Mar. 2024
Noun
West takes the ace and leads another club, but declarer wins and leads a second heart, setting up his queen for a diamond discard from dummy. Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024 In my opinion, producing good informative or tactical discards is quite demanding. Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2024 East discards, and South’s jack loses to the queen. Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024 Additional interviews led Bluey to an individual who received the discards in question from the processor. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 21 Dec. 2023 Countries like Chile, Haiti, and Uganda became depositories for fast fashion discards. Julia Shipley, WIRED, 13 Jan. 2024 However, anecdotal reports of burros gnawing the latex paint off wood house trim, sauntering into neighborhoods on trash pickup days to sample the smorgasbord of urban discards, and wandering out into local highways to fight over territory and harems have increased in recent months. Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023 Use a sharp knife to loosen the edges of the skins; gently pull off the skins in strips and discard. Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 July 2023 Pour drippings from roasting pan into a heatproof bowl; reserve fat for another purpose or discard. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 13 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1578, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1719, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of discard was circa 1578

Dictionary Entries Near discard

Cite this Entry

“Discard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discard. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

discard

1 of 2 verb
dis·​card dis-ˈkärd How to pronounce discard (audio)
ˈdis-ˌkärd
1
: to remove a playing card from one's hand
2
: to get rid of as useless or unwanted
discard an old hat
discardable adjective

discard

2 of 2 noun
dis·​card ˈdis-ˌkärd How to pronounce discard (audio)
1
: the act of discarding in a card game
2
: a person or thing cast off or rejected

More from Merriam-Webster on discard

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