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 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
And some old-growth forests have abundant deadwood, both standing and on the ground, whereas others are kept largely clear of deadwood by frequent fires.
—Reed Frederick Noss, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2025
Bit by bit, deadwood is decomposed, feeding new life along the way.
—Katarina Zimmer, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
The deadwood was cleared off the roster.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadwood
Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2025
And some old-growth forests have abundant deadwood, both standing and on the ground, whereas others are kept largely clear of deadwood by frequent fires.
—Reed Frederick Noss, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2025
Bit by bit, deadwood is decomposed, feeding new life along the way.
—Katarina Zimmer, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
The deadwood was cleared off the roster.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadwood
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadwood
Noun
-
Fernando is looking to eventually publish a catalog of seismically tracked, entering space objects, while improving future calculations by factoring in the wind’s effect on falling debris.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
-
During all that time, miniscule rocks and debris should continue to to collide and merge into the building blocks of future gas and terrestrial planets.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Installed on the former garbage dump bounded by Sunset, Lewis, Western and Glen Flora avenues, there are now 20,000 solar panels.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Rescuers retrieved eight people alive and were searching for the missing still trapped after a huge mound of garbage and debris collapsed on them in the village of Binaliw in Cebu city, police said.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Piles of human scraps offer a bottomless buffet to wildlife, and to access that bounty, animals need to be bold enough to rummage through human rubbish but not so bold as to become a threat to people.—
Marina Wang,
Scientific American,
14 Nov. 2025
-
Helga once wrestled down a drunk fisherman in the Café, a man of above-average size, and then threw him out like a piece of rubbish; Jens thus transfers most of his weight automatically to her; who is this kid, by the way?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Kirkland Signature is Costco's private label brand which offers a variety of products, including groceries, health and beauty products, clothing, and household items, such as trash bags and cleaning supplies.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Two passengers in the trash truck – identified as 22-year-old Juan Cormachi and 35-year-old Fausto Flores – were injured during the crash and taken to a shock trauma center.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Safety and health worries have long surrounded landfills in many cities and towns in the Philippines, especially ones near poor communities whose residents scavenge for junk and leftover food in the garbage heaps, the AP points out.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
His wife’s body was discovered by a man who was working on the property to clear out junk ahead of the property’s sale.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Researchers revealed that the high-voltage output facilitates the neutralization and collection of dust and moisture by generating negative ions.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Adding a dust ruffle around the base of your bed can make this spot even better for keeping messy items hidden.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deadwood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadwood. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
