junker

1 of 2

noun (1)

junk·​er ˈjəŋ-kər How to pronounce junker (audio)
: something (such as an automobile) of such age and condition as to be ready for scrapping

Junker

2 of 2

noun (2)

Jun·​ker ˈyu̇ŋ-kər How to pronounce Junker (audio)
: a member of the Prussian landed aristocracy
Junkerdom noun
Junkerism noun

Examples of junker in a Sentence

Noun (1) I can't believe he's still driving that old junker. they finally traded in their old junker for a nice new car
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Scrap Car Comparison scraps thousands of cars every year, but this year has decided to put them to good use by naming those junkers after your ex. Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2024 It’s been on the airwaves for about 50 years — almost as long as California has had its pioneering Lemon Law protecting us from getting stuck with junkers. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023 The cast from Bram Stoker’s novel are transposed to space junkers, who come across the derelict spaceship Demeter. Vulture, 13 Aug. 2023 Forced back together with his estranged son, Max (Dakota Goyo), Charlie teams up with Bailey (Evangeline Lilly), the daughter of his former boxing coach, to build up a junker 'bot named Atom to re-enter the ring for a last shot at glory, while also building up their relationships. Nick Romano, EW.com, 7 Oct. 2021 Cotler and Bell had done that exact thing in 2011: Their very first JITV RV was a Craigslist junker-turned-recording studio that Cotler parked in his Venice backyard. Rachel Brodsky, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2022 An episode might follow someone who had long suffered driving an unreliable, junker of a car. New York Times, 11 July 2022 The pair work together to repair a junker training robot to get ring-ready, while simultaneously mending their relationship. Nick Romano, EW.com, 13 Jan. 2022 Some of the cars are modified, many remain original and, unlike many hoards of this size, there’s not a junker in the bunch. Fox News, 31 Mar. 2020

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

junk entry 1 + -er entry 2

Noun (2)

German, from Old High German junchērro, literally, young lord

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1932, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of junker was in 1849

Dictionary Entries Near junker

Cite this Entry

“Junker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/junker. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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