as in garbage
discarded or useless material
get rid of the dross before closing up the shop
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Recent Examples of dross
The downside of all of these riches is the dross accompanying the gold.
—
Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
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
Could the cotton dross, for instance, enhance a food product’s nutritional profile?
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
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
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
-
Richter and Henke said the best way to avoid confrontations with coyotes is to eliminate food sources, whether by not feeding them directly, bringing pet food indoors or securing garbage.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
No matter how advanced the algorithm, garbage data in means garbage results out, just with a more polished interface.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Piles of brick debris were also seen inside hospital rooms and along an exterior wall.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
-
One of the biggest headaches any launch with a hatch deals with is known as FOD, or foreign-object debris, which could be as small as a piece of hair trapped in the seal where the hatch closes.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For many centuries and probably longer, the seas and oceans of the world have been used as a source of food but also as an enormous dumping ground for all sorts of rubbish.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The study confirmed direct dumping by boats, with evidence of bags full of rubbish thrown overboard.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Each year, Heal the Bay collects trash from beaches and watersheds across Los Angeles County with the help of thousands of volunteers.—
CBS LA Staff,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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The fourth program, Shoreline’s Community Care employment program, hires individuals on the street to do jobs like street cleaning, sidewalk sweeping, graffiti removal, landscaping, trash removal, and custodial and janitorial work.—
Reyna Huff,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But ultimately, fans don’t come to the ballpark to watch 3-4 innings of junk balls and 75 MPH batting practice pitches.—
Abbey Mastracco,
Hartford Courant,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Hugh Lewis, a space debris expert and professor of astronautics at the UK's University of Birmingham, noted that the orbiting data centers will need to constantly maneuver to avoid hitting space junk and other satellites.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This model is also the brand’s most durable yet, boasting an extreme IP69 rating for water and dust resistance, paired with a versatile triple 50MP camera system that captures professional-grade detail across wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto shots.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Gusty winds up to 40 mph could create areas of blowing dust along major interstates.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
AZCentral.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Satellite images indicate that the Iranians subsequently broke through the rubble to open the tunnel entrances, perhaps to gain access to the nuclear materials.—
Sheena Samu,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile in Tehran, rescue workers were combing through rubble Friday morning trying to find survivors after overnight strikes there.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dross.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dross. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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