as in debris
discarded or useless material
much of the material in the file cabinets is just deadwood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of deadwood
The pyre was probably built by collecting and assembling at least 30 kilograms of deadwood and grass, which would have required considerable community effort.
—
ArsTechnica, 5 Jan. 2026
Trying to talk sense into him would be useless, however, so a wounded Leroy hands off the dagger to Will and gives him instructions on where to bury it, reasoning that Will and his friends will be able to get to the deadwood without the military spotting them.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025
With Rich's ghostly helping hand, Will, Lilly, Ronnie, and Marge are able to plant the dagger in the deadwood's roots, re-lock the cage, and send It back into one of its 27-year hibernation periods.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
The lawsuit states that the branch fell from a tree that was clearly unhealthy, decayed and had deadwood.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadwood
ArsTechnica, 5 Jan. 2026
Trying to talk sense into him would be useless, however, so a wounded Leroy hands off the dagger to Will and gives him instructions on where to bury it, reasoning that Will and his friends will be able to get to the deadwood without the military spotting them.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025
With Rich's ghostly helping hand, Will, Lilly, Ronnie, and Marge are able to plant the dagger in the deadwood's roots, re-lock the cage, and send It back into one of its 27-year hibernation periods.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
The lawsuit states that the branch fell from a tree that was clearly unhealthy, decayed and had deadwood.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadwood
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadwood
Noun
-
Kuhner led me up a wooden staircase, into a dark space littered with debris.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management said Thursday that there's a lane restriction in one eastbound lane of Grays Ferry Avenue as crews clear debris, but the westbound lanes are fully open.—
Tom Ignudo,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For example, the EV mandate would be imposed on a company like Waste Management which pays the local government a franchise fee for the exclusive right to provide garbage collection services to all the residents.—
Jon Coupal,
Oc Register,
18 Apr. 2026
-
But the temporary solution for many buildings is asking residents to fill in as volunteer cleaners, garbage schleppers, and greeters.—
Anne Kadet,
Curbed,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Mulhouse Public Prosecutor Nicolas Heitz speaks to the press after a boy was discovered naked and malnourished on a pile of rubbish in a van where he had been kept locked up, in Hagenbach, eastern France, on April 10, 2026.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Stony rubbish, dead trees, the odd corpse in the garden—nothing that couldn’t be absorbed back into the earth.—
Caroline Fraser,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The three-block stretch, between 16th and 19th avenues, looks markedly different from just a year ago, when tents, abandoned cars and piles of trash crowded the street and sidewalks.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Issues cited by residents include drug use, trash and a man with an assault rifle.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some of these are arranged into more staid compositions of geometric bands of color, while others bend and bulge into shapes evoking the baroque ruination of junk-yard findings.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Dump the junk; donate the rest to the Goodwill or other donation centers.—
Terri Daxon,
Oc Register,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Because of the speed of revolution, a single grain of dust can be enough to strip the magnetic film and obliterate the underlying data.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The Swiffer Sweeper is perfect for picking up dust, dirt, and pet hair from hardwood, linoleum, or tile floors.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deadwood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadwood. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
