often attributive
1
scraps plural
: fragments of discarded or leftover food
2
a
: a small detached piece
a scrap of paper
b
: a fragment of something written, printed, or spoken
scraps of conversation
c
: the least bit
not a scrap of evidence
3
4
a
: fragments of stock removed in manufacturing
b
: manufactured articles or parts rejected or discarded and useful only as material for reprocessing
especially
: waste and discarded metal
scrapped; scrapping
1
: to convert into scrap
2
: to abandon or get rid of as no longer of enough worth or effectiveness to retain
scrap outworn methods
Synonyms
Noun (1)
Verb (1)
- cashier
- cast (off)
- chuck
- deep-six
- discard
- ditch
- dump
- eighty-six
- 86
- exorcise
- exorcize
- fling (off or away)
- jettison
- junk
- lay by
- lose
- pitch
- reject
- shed
- shuck (off)
- slough (off)
- sluff (off)
- throw away
- throw out
- toss
- unload
Noun (2)
- altercation
- argle-bargle [chiefly British]
- argument
- argy-bargy [chiefly British]
- battle royal
- bicker
- brawl
- contretemps
- controversy
- cross fire
- disagreement
- dispute
- donnybrook
- falling-out
- fight
- hassle
- imbroglio
- kickup
- misunderstanding
- quarrel
- rhubarb
- row
- set-to
- spat
- squabble
- tiff
- wrangle
Verb (2)
Examples of scrap in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Michelle Cottle, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
There’s nothing practical about the scraps of experience, passing thoughts, or remembered sensations that make up a life.
—Chelsea Leu, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024
But fan enthusiasm can make these scraps of music go viral anyway, especially on TikTok, sending artists scrambling to write another verse, record a full song, and release it as soon as possible — hopefully to a rapturous reception.
—Elias Leight, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2024
Now Chinese investors were planning to install new furnaces, which required fewer workers and were fed with scrap metal.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
These scraps include trimmings and other waste generated during the manufacturing process, or batteries that fail quality tests.
—Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024
Children desperately rummage through garbage, searching for scraps of food.
—Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
Additionally, organizers recently announced that this year’s Olympic medals will feature pieces of scrap iron from the Eiffel Tower.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024
At the metal scrap plant, workers like Mr. Bohne take shifts to maintain their 24-hour strike outside the main gates, warming themselves inside construction containers or around makeshift firepits fueled with scrap wood.
—Erika Solomon, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Roger Cohen Ivor Prickett, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
Judge says Kari Lake conceded defamation suit; discovery could still proceed on damages Fountain Hills sanctions 'bully' council member, orders him to get a chaperone GOP wants to scrap Arizona early voting.
—The Arizona Republic, 30 Mar. 2024
Idaho lawmakers float proposals to cancel ITD sale The two bills were not the first time this legislative session that lawmakers tried to scrap the sale.
—Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 29 Mar. 2024
When that time comes, data centers have two options: scrap the old equipment or go out of their way to find a recycling solution.
—Sviat Dulianinov, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The decision scraps duties as high as 218% on Australian wine exports to China, its largest overseas market once worth more than 1 billion Australian dollars ($653 million).
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Small businesses were able to receive up to £21,000 to scrap as many as three vans.
—Joe Mayes, Fortune Europe, 26 Mar. 2024
In the years that followed, two potential U.S. criminal cases against Spacey fell apart — one because prosecutors scrapped the charges, the other because an anonymous accuser died — and, at trial, Rapp lost a lawsuit pertaining to the alleged 1986 incident.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2024
The series, despite being renewed for a second season, was scrapped after a single season.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Mar. 2024
Noun
Other candidates and committees are an afterthought, left to squabble over his scraps.
—Michelle Cottle, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
There’s nothing practical about the scraps of experience, passing thoughts, or remembered sensations that make up a life.
—Chelsea Leu, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024
But fan enthusiasm can make these scraps of music go viral anyway, especially on TikTok, sending artists scrambling to write another verse, record a full song, and release it as soon as possible — hopefully to a rapturous reception.
—Elias Leight, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2024
Now Chinese investors were planning to install new furnaces, which required fewer workers and were fed with scrap metal.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
These scraps include trimmings and other waste generated during the manufacturing process, or batteries that fail quality tests.
—Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024
Children desperately rummage through garbage, searching for scraps of food.
—Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
Additionally, organizers recently announced that this year’s Olympic medals will feature pieces of scrap iron from the Eiffel Tower.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024
At the metal scrap plant, workers like Mr. Bohne take shifts to maintain their 24-hour strike outside the main gates, warming themselves inside construction containers or around makeshift firepits fueled with scrap wood.
—Erika Solomon, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Verb
In February, under pressure from farmer protests, the E.U. acknowledged how polarizing its efforts have become, scrapping an anti-pesticide bill.
—Roger Cohen Ivor Prickett, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
Judge says Kari Lake conceded defamation suit; discovery could still proceed on damages Fountain Hills sanctions 'bully' council member, orders him to get a chaperone GOP wants to scrap Arizona early voting.
—The Arizona Republic, 30 Mar. 2024
Idaho lawmakers float proposals to cancel ITD sale The two bills were not the first time this legislative session that lawmakers tried to scrap the sale.
—Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 29 Mar. 2024
When that time comes, data centers have two options: scrap the old equipment or go out of their way to find a recycling solution.
—Sviat Dulianinov, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The decision scraps duties as high as 218% on Australian wine exports to China, its largest overseas market once worth more than 1 billion Australian dollars ($653 million).
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Small businesses were able to receive up to £21,000 to scrap as many as three vans.
—Joe Mayes, Fortune Europe, 26 Mar. 2024
In the years that followed, two potential U.S. criminal cases against Spacey fell apart — one because prosecutors scrapped the charges, the other because an anonymous accuser died — and, at trial, Rapp lost a lawsuit pertaining to the alleged 1986 incident.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2024
The series, despite being renewed for a second season, was scrapped after a single season.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scrap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near scrap
Cite this Entry
“Scrap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrap. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scrap
2 of 4 verb
scrapped; scrapping
1
: to break up into scrap
2
: to discard as worthless
scrap
3 of 4 nounEtymology
Noun
Middle English scrap "discarded bits of food"; of Norse origin
Noun
origin unknown
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