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

• etceteras
• notion
• novelties
• sundries

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

My first prints When given the opportunity to use a 3D printer, my mind went first to aggressively practical stuff—prints for organizing the odds and ends that eternally float around my office or desk. —ArsTechnica, 22 May 2025

At the time it was covered in cobwebs and full of odds and ends, more like a storage room. —Tony Perrottet, Travel + Leisure, 13 May 2025

Hele Outdoors One final trick up the Hele Box's sleeve: The padded carry case doubles as a storage bin for keeping important camping odds and ends organized. —New Atlas, 12 May 2025

Others are more like kitchen drawers overflowing with odds and ends: candle stubs, matchbooks, lids to missing jars, takeout menus from restaurants that shut down during Covid. —A.o. Scott, New York Times, 2 May 2025

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