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
-
Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
-
The debris – space rocks known as meteoroids – collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky, according to NASA.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
Noun
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Secure garbage and recycling bags.—
Barbara Bellesi Zito,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
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Investigators said nearly 6,500 pets were promised a proper burial by Vereb, but instead their bodies were dumped in landfills or left in leaking garbage bags.—
Meghan Schiller,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Noun
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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
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Local villages are actively monitoring the oceans and reefs in their environment, and backlash to a recent plan from a billionaire Australian to build a giant plant to incinerate rubbish in Fiji was loud and well organized, says Singh.—
MIchelle Duff,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Pieces of trash, including an empty Pacifico beer can, gather dust on the floor behind the counter.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
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Her choice would have been to ask if the interviewer would prefer the trash in the basket (avoiding any jokes about the interviewer having missed the target) and then proceed accordingly.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Prices climb, yields drop, and the only deals left are in junk that nobody wants for good reason.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
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Colleges are failing today’s young adults — beyond grade inflation, junk courses and trading facts for ideology.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Wipe the slats with a clean, dry microfiber cloth to pick up as much dust as possible.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
10 May 2026
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Regularly clean the filters, vents, and coils to prevent dust buildup and use a programmable timer to avoid running the unit constantly.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deadwood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadwood. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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