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 collectionVerb
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
But unlike the billions of other web-using inhabitants of planet Earth, the 72-year-old Canter feels an ever-so-slight twinge of culpability for all that digital junk that rockets across the internet each day.—Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025 And in a world filled with junk content, where everyone is a wannabe influencer peddling their lifestyle and products, Tate’s a pretty good pick for learning how to live your life, said 21-year-old John Fitch, who spars at Betiss’ gym a few times a week.—Will Carless, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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 At that juncture, yes, AGI as a north star would undoubtedly get junked.—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for junk
Share