discard 1 of 2

as in reject
something separated from a group or lot for not being as good as the others toss all of your discards in the garbage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

discard

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word discard different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of discard are cast, junk, scrap, shed, and slough. While all these words mean "to get rid of," discard implies the letting go or throwing away of something that has become useless or superfluous though often not intrinsically valueless.

discard old clothes

Where would cast be a reasonable alternative to discard?

The words cast and discard can be used in similar contexts, but cast, especially when used with off, away, or out, implies a forceful rejection or repudiation.

cast off her friends

How are the words scrap and junk related as synonyms of discard?

Both scrap and junk imply throwing away or breaking up as worthless in existent form.

scrap all the old ways
would junk our educational system

How do shed and slough relate to one another, in the sense of discard?

Shed and slough imply a throwing off of something both useless and encumbering and often suggest a consequent renewal of vitality or luster.

shed a bad habit
finally sloughed off the depression

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 discard
Noun
Similarly, Studio Raw Material works with discards from the quarries of Makrana, where nearly twenty million tons of stone are processed annually. Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 1 June 2025 Here, a fluffy dough made with the discard, yeast, flour, and sugar is topped with a cinnamon butter and drizzled with homemade cream cheese icing. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 May 2025
Verb
Marysol and Alexia take Julia, Lisa, and an unusually dour Adriana, who is moping about her birthday and how society discards women of a certain age. Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025 Those who have the affected product in their possession are urged to discard it or return it to the place of purchase. Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for discard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discard
Noun
  • In it, Jackson Lamb (Oldman), River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) and the rest of the MI5 rejects are on the case — and a bit on the defense.
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
  • As the saying goes, nobody wants to sit at the reject table.
    Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Dexter has borrowed Prater’s yacht to dump his body into the East River.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The season will detail 10 different cases, including a Las Vegas journalist ambushed outside his residence, a body dumped in a NYC tunnel, and a mission to discover the identity of a victim found in the East River.
    Giana Levy, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The trawling nets of commercial fisherman greedily cull all of the sea life in their path.
    Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
  • Trump orders cull of commercial launch regulations.
    Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Kendall Jenner has ditched her clothes for multiple Calvin Klein underwear campaigns and has been working with the brand for years.
    Hedy Phillips, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
  • That's the general summary of the argument insider Robert Murray of FanSided made on Monday, when suggesting that the slugger could ditch Philadelphia for one of his former clubs.
    Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Extend it to four seconds to ensure safe spacing in adverse conditions.
    Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Three weeks later in London, the same service required a bank transfer – no cash accepted, no cards processed, just account details exchanged securely and payment completed in seconds.
    Penny Lee, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The pressure is always on the taker, the player standing, gulping, trying desperately not to unload their lunch onto the turf, preparing to do something theoretically simple — kick the ball into the net from 12 yards with only one opponent able to stop them.
    Nick Miller, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Some overseas investors have also been unloading government bonds and rotating into Japanese equities , driving its stock markets to fresh highs, analysts who spoke to CNBC noted.
    Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • And then, 11 days later, the movie will appear in theaters nationwide, something that seemed implausible over the years as the rejections kept piling up.
    Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Then an Alabama woman whose pig kidney lasted 130 days before rejection prompted its removal, sending her back to dialysis, helped researchers shift to not-as-sick patients.
    Lauran Neergaard, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Many journalists don’t want to lose access and are subject to coercion and intimidation that can influence their reporting.
    Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • One side will win, and one side will lose.
    Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Discard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discard. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on discard

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!