: something (such as an automobile) of such age and condition as to be ready for scrapping
: a member of the Prussian landed aristocracy
plural -s
: the Junker system of government : Junker principles or policies
Junkerism has greatly declined in influence—
New York Times
New York TimesExamples 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
Lee Cowan, CBS News, 24 May 2026
Down the line, fewer amateur mechanics may be able to spend their weekends tinkering with a junker and bringing it back to its former glory.
—Nina Metz, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
The original — which helped make the show’s title into a universal shorthand for junker rejuvenation — aired on MTV for six seasons from 2004-2007.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 May 2024
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
An episode might follow someone who had long suffered driving an unreliable, junker of a car.
—New York Times, 11 July 2022
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
Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 May 2024
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
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
On the central coast of California, car enthusiasts can marvel at the most prestigious and the junkers of the automobile world, all in one weekend.
—Lee Cowan, CBS News, 24 May 2026
Down the line, fewer amateur mechanics may be able to spend their weekends tinkering with a junker and bringing it back to its former glory.
—Nina Metz, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
The original — which helped make the show’s title into a universal shorthand for junker rejuvenation — aired on MTV for six seasons from 2004-2007.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 May 2024
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
An episode might follow someone who had long suffered driving an unreliable, junker of a car.
—New York Times, 11 July 2022
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
Noun
The original — which helped make the show’s title into a universal shorthand for junker rejuvenation — aired on MTV for six seasons from 2004-2007.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 May 2024
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
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
Cite this Entry
“Junker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/junker. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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