odds and ends

plural noun

1

a

: miscellaneous articles

b

: miscellaneous small matters (as of business) to be attended to

2

: miscellaneous remnants or leftovers

odds and ends of food

Synonyms of odds and ends

• novelties
• gadgets
• notion
• sundries
• variety

Examples of odds and ends in a Sentence

she's always searching among the odds and ends in the drawer for some tool that she needs

almost all of the piece of leather will be needed for upholstering the chair, so just throw away any odds and ends

Recent Examples on the Web

The Kuiper Belt is a graveyard of planetary odds and ends that were scattered far from the sun during the messy birth of the solar system some 4.6 billion years ago. —Becky Ferreira, Wired News, 11 Feb. 2026

Hobby Items And Decor Craft supplies, holiday decor, photos, or other similar odds and ends do not belong in the laundry room, either. —Sarah Lyon, Southern Living, 1 Feb. 2026

Rolanstar Multi-Function Convertible Coffee Table Got a small living room without anywhere to stash odds and ends? —Brittany Vanderbill, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Jan. 2026

Employ pretty canisters to store odds and ends floating around your space. —Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for odds and ends

• apprehends
• comprehends
• condescends
• dividends
• recommends
• amends
• appends
• ascends
• attends
• befriends
• boyfriends
• commends

Kids Definition

odds and ends

plural noun

: miscellaneous articles, leftovers, or things to do