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deadwood

noun

ˈded-ˌwu̇d How to pronounce deadwood (audio)
Definition of deadwoodnext
as in debris
discarded or useless material much of the material in the file cabinets is just deadwood

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 When removing any deadwood, cut just above the branch collar. — Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 18 Jan. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for deadwood
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadwood
  1. debris
  2. garbage
  3. rubbish
  4. trash
  5. junk
  6. dust
Noun
  • The sheriff’s office released photos of the black Honda CR-V deep inside the store with debris surrounding the vehicle.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The team looked through such coronagraph data for seven distant stars, each surrounded by debris disks where planet formation may be happening.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of debris
Noun
  • Remove food that attracts wild animals by keeping garbage in closed, secure containers.
    — Gagandeep Singh, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The only people who spoke up for this garbage were the people who put it together.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of garbage
Noun
  • This comes at the expense of no movement in the wrist, but to be fair, having the lightsaber pointed in any other direction would look rubbish.
    — Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Only construction waste will be accepted at the landfill such as, brush and rubbish, concrete, brick, rock, wood, paper, plastics, cardboard and roofing shingles and tiles.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026
Definition of rubbish
Noun
  • It will then be loaded up with trash and sent down to a fiery death in Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • These community governance groups rely on owner dues and assessments to cover shared amenities, like pools, trash collection, and lawn maintenance.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of trash
Noun
  • Astroscale’s business is focused on satellite servicing and mitigation of space junk, a segment of the market that matches well with rockets the size of Isar’s Spectrum for dedicated rides to orbit.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The three scoured data collected by the Chandra space telescope between 1999 and 2017 and painstakingly filtered out any random artifacts and other junk.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of junk
Noun
  • These micro-drones usually crash in low-visibility crisis zones where dust, smoke, or pitch darkness blinds cameras.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Tristan, in the middle of putting down new wood shavings, looked at me shyly through the dust clouds.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of dust

Browse Nearby Words

deadweights
deadwood
deafening
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Cite this Entry

“Deadwood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadwood. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on deadwood

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about deadwood

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