discard

verb

dis·card | \ dis-ˈkärd

, ˈdis-ˌkärd\

discarded; discarding; discards

Definition of discard

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to get rid of especially as useless or unwanted a pile of discarded tires They quickly discarded the idea.

2a : to remove (a playing card) from one's hand (see hand entry 1 sense 9a(2)) 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

discard

noun

dis·card | \ ˈdis-ˌkärd

Definition of discard (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : 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

Other Words from discard Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about discard

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Choose the Right Synonym for discard

Verb

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 crucial thing here is to not discard, but cut up, rethink, go wild. — Mark Holgate, Vogue, "Francesco Colucci Styles the Windows of Traid in London, Turning Out Some of the City’s Fiercest Looks," 22 Apr. 2019 The six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback will have to discard his longtime brand as one of 11 helmets banned by the league and players’ union for 2019. — Barry Wilner, The Seattle Times, "NFL, union encouraged by helmet safety improvements," 12 Apr. 2019 The agency has no immediate plans to discard the upholstery on its 2,438 buses or four light-rail lines. — Laura J. Nelson, latimes.com, "Goodbye, upholstery. Hello, vinyl: L.A. Metro is phasing out some of its infamous fabric seats," 10 July 2018 Boys were forced to cut their long hair, and children were required to discard their traditional Native American clothing and wear Western styles. — John D'anna, azcentral, "Think child separations are unprecedented? Here are 3 heartbreaking examples from history," 21 June 2018 Rather than defend its own constitutional prerogatives, the Senate in past years has acquiesced in the politically expedient myth that its duty to approve or deny treaties can be discarded at the pleasure of the executive of the moment. — WSJ, "The Senate Cedes Its Authority on Climate," 26 Dec. 2018 Eventually, Shirley’s startup became a multibillion-dollar company, built on the work of women who had been discarded by mainstream corporations. — Marie Hicks, The Verge, "The long history behind the Google Walkout," 9 Nov. 2018 That is a complicated undertaking, however, given how rapidly goods can move around a store as customers pick up and then discard items. — Jennifer Smith, WSJ, "New Job for Robots: Taking Stock for Retailers," 27 Jan. 2019 The company lawyer also says the jury will never know for sure if the device Reid was using was actually made by Hygenic because Reid family members discarded it after the senator was injured. — Ken Ritter, The Seattle Times, "Product lawyer points out Reid’s conflicting statements," 29 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The only difference being that creatures, enchantments, and artifacts stay on the playing field whereas sorceries and instants are placed in your discard pile, also known as your graveyard, after casting their one-time effect. — Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, "How to Play 'Magic: The Gathering': Everything You Need to Know," 19 Feb. 2019 That’s when Rachel throws out the eight of bamboo as a discard — folding her winning hand, knowing that Eleanor will pick it up and declare victory. — Jeff Yang, Vox, "The symbolism of Crazy Rich Asians’ pivotal mahjong scene, explained," 20 Aug. 2018 Victories have been rare for the Boars, who are usually defeated in regional tournaments, where their squad of onetime discards take on teams for whom soccer is part of the school curriculum. — Matt Blomberg, latimes.com, "There's a reason that the soccer team rescued from a cave in Thailand was so tough and resilient," 11 July 2018 Salsa and tamales past discard date found in walk-in refrigerator. — Robert Gundran, azcentral, "Restaurant with no sneeze guard on salsa bar among this week's violations," 11 July 2018 Amazingly, the latter two were late pickups off the discard pile, Murphy last year, Macoun this year. — Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Red Wings flashback: Mitch Albom on 1998 Stanley Cup victory," 16 June 2018 Matt Albers: White Sox discard making a name for himself with Brewers, stranding 94.1 percent of runners with 0.88 WHIP. — Paul Sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "Astros GM Jeff Luhnow never hides from his own tweets," 1 June 2018 Cooked pork with discard date of April 28 in the refrigerator. — Ryan Santistevan, azcentral, "Mesa eatery left 3-day-old food on deli slicer, among other violations," 16 May 2018 Lines of vehicles waited for their chance to offload piles of brush, old furniture, and other discards. — Janice Steinhagen, Courant Community, "Crews Clean Up Streets, Parks For Earth Day," 2 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'discard.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.