as in debris
discarded or useless material
much of the material in the file cabinets is just deadwood
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Example Sentences
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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
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Meanwhile, about a kilometre away, workers began clearing debris from the old site of the primary-care center, making room for a permanent replacement.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
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Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Some argue that parking, sewer and garbage – the infrastructure designed for single-family homes – is being stretched too thin.—
Lee Cowan,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
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However, the playoffs have delivered over and over to viewers and rewarded us for putting up with garbage regular-season games.—
David Troy,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Trash pickup Chris Barnett, Orion Township supervisor, said residents of his community will be allowed to place more bagged trash outside at their next Waste Management pickup day to help handle overflow rubbish from paper plates, etc.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
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From the Japanese point of view, leaving rubbish piled up in a stadium would be a bother to others.—
Stephen Wade,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Why should New Yorkers pay more than half a billion dollars annually just to get rid of trash and make other communities sick?—
Justin Sanchez,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
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Allowing people to obtain free water using their own reusable bottles will cut down on the waste produced by plastic bottles, which end up in the trash and ultimately take up space in landfills for hundreds of years, officials said.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Blackwood, and a spotty defense on junk in front of the net, provided the smelling salts.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
14 May 2026
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The district’s bond rating now sits at junk status, meaning BB+ and below under Fitch Ratings’ scale.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Dirty filters can cause allergies by circulating dust, mold, and other allergens throughout your home when the AC is on during the summer.—
Hiranmayi Srinivasan,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 May 2026
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Their modus operandi is to rescue interesting old buildings in a sorry state of disrepair and liberally sprinkle fairy dust over them.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deadwood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadwood. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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