junk

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈjəŋk 

1

a(1)

: old iron, glass, paper, or other waste that may be used again in some form

(2)

: secondhand, worn, or discarded articles

(3)

: clutter sense 1b

b

: something of poor quality : trash

c

: something of little meaning, worth, or significance

2

: pieces of old cable or cordage used especially to make gaskets, mats, swabs, or oakum

3

slang : narcotics

especially : heroin

4

: junk bond

5

: baseball pitches that break or are off-speed (such as curveballs or changeups)

6

slang : male genitalia

junk

2 of 3

verb

junked; junking; junks

transitive verb

: to get rid of as worthless : scrap

junk

3 of 3

noun (2)

: any of various ships of Chinese waters with bluff lines, a high poop and overhanging stem, little or no keel, high pole masts, and a deep rudder

Illustration of junk

• ³junk

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• cheese
• rubbish
• trash

Verb

• dump
• discard
• unload
• ditch
• scrap
• lose

Choose the Right Synonym for junk

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 junk in a Sentence

Noun (1)

couldn't believe that such junk was chosen to be read for the book club

my car is junk—it spends more time in the shop than on the road

junk on the side of the road waiting for the trash collection

Verb

We decided to junk our old computer and buy a new one.

we'll have to junk this old car

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This handsome design can work in just about any room in your home and comes equipped with a little bit of drawer storage to discreetly hide any junk. —Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 3 Oct. 2025

The podcast also won’t just be about debunking the junk; there will be episodes highlighting the good stuff in wellness too. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 2 Oct. 2025

Verb

Equity grading, which curtails teacher discretion, should be junked. —Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

His command has improved, and he’s gone from getting lit up against lefties to passable by junking his split-change, using a different grip for a true changeup to give him a viable option against left-handed hitters. —Keith Law, New York Times, 31 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English jonke

Noun (2)

Portuguese junco, from Javanese joṅ

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1911, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1555, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing junk

• a piece of junk
• junk art
• junk bond
• junk DNA
• junk email
• junk food
• junk mail
• junk sculpture

Rhymes for junk

• bunk
• chunk
• clunk
• drunk
• dunk
• hunk
• punk
• shrunk
• slunk
• spunk
• sunk
• trunk

Video

Some Odd Words with ISMO: "Junk in the Trunk"

Comedian ISMO on what separates a boot from a trunk

Kids Definition

junk

1 of 3 noun

ˈjəŋk 

1

: articles discarded as worthless

2

: something of poor quality : trash

3

slang : narcotic entry 1 sense 1

especially : heroin

junky

ˈjəŋ-kē 

adjective

junk

2 of 3 verb

: to get rid of as worthless : scrap

junk

3 of 3 noun

: a ship of eastern Asia with a high stern and four-cornered sails

Etymology

Noun

Middle English jonke "piece of old or worn-out rope"

Noun

from Portuguese junco "a Chinese ship"