as in garbage
discarded or useless material
get rid of the dross before closing up the shop
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dross
What tabloid dross tends to obscure is his impressive career—first as a star dancer at the New York City Ballet, then as a roving choreographer of complex, dynamic work that is rooted in balletic conventions but not restricted by them.
—
Sara Krolewski, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026
These meteors are the dross shed by the comet 169P/NEAT, whose path Earth crosses at this time each year.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 July 2025
Amongst all the dross and angst, Neil and Teddy try to talk everyone into investing in a baseball-card trading venture that might generate $500 in profits after a year.
—Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
But among the dross there gleam a few brilliant exceptions—deceptive, slippery books that defy the constraints of region and genre.
—Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
The chipmaker is still raising cash and cutting costs though, as there seems to be quite a bit of dross.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
After the dross of Bruno Lage, and the chaos of Lopetegui, Gary O'Neil came in and created unity.
—Steve Madeley, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Could the cotton dross, for instance, enhance a food product’s nutritional profile?
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Sara Krolewski, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026
These meteors are the dross shed by the comet 169P/NEAT, whose path Earth crosses at this time each year.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 July 2025
Amongst all the dross and angst, Neil and Teddy try to talk everyone into investing in a baseball-card trading venture that might generate $500 in profits after a year.
—Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
But among the dross there gleam a few brilliant exceptions—deceptive, slippery books that defy the constraints of region and genre.
—Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
The chipmaker is still raising cash and cutting costs though, as there seems to be quite a bit of dross.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
After the dross of Bruno Lage, and the chaos of Lopetegui, Gary O'Neil came in and created unity.
—Steve Madeley, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Could the cotton dross, for instance, enhance a food product’s nutritional profile?
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dross
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
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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
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Weekend Home Deals Keep your home clean and tidy with fabric storage bags, drawer organizers, and a Shark steam mop that effortlessly removes grime, sticky messes, and more debris from hard floors.—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
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None Created from debris streams left behind by Comet Thatcher (which last circled the sun in 1861), the Lyrid meteor shower averages between 10 to 20 fireballs per hour.—
Michael d'Estries,
Travel + Leisure,
16 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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
Noun
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In the first image rubble from the fire is visible and the land is a charred brown.—
Terry Castleman,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
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First responders carried many of the injured, who were trapped under rubble, out on stretchers, and detection dogs were used to ensure that rescuers located everyone trapped in the debris, per the BBC.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dross.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dross. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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