1
as in cheese
that which is of low quality or worth
couldn't believe that such junk was chosen to be read for the book club my car is junk—it spends more time in the shop than on the road
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in garbage
discarded or useless material
junk on the side of the road waiting for the trash collection
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to dump
to get rid of as useless or unwanted
we'll have to junk this old car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 junk
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
This is where the junk drawer surprises people.
—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
24 June 2026
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2026
During his first term, Trump was a rare Republican supporter of junking the rule.
—
W. James Antle Iii,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for junk
Noun
Damaged or mismatched gold and silver jewelry The junk jewelry dish may not be junk at all.
—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
This is where the junk drawer surprises people.
—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
24 June 2026
Verb
South Carolina leads with its defense without junking the game.
—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2026
During his first term, Trump was a rare Republican supporter of junking the rule.
—
W. James Antle Iii,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for junk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for junk
Noun
-
Popular orders include the wild flounder meunière, steak tartare, fig and arugula salad, and duck confit, while the cheese and charcuterie menu pairs ideally wine.
-
Add about a tablespoon of cheese to the oil and vinegar, smushing it in with a fork, to add creaminess and body to the dressing.
Noun
-
Since construction at the Eagle Rock site — so nicknamed after a decrepit colonnade — first stalled in 2008, the only thing that accumulated faster than the garbage and graffiti were the epithets from outraged community members.
-
Relying Too Much On Garbage Disposals Though the name may be deceiving, garbage disposals aren’t actually designed to dispose of all garbage.
Verb
-
Plum Island beaches in Newburyport, Massachusetts are closed after 60,000 gallons of wastewater were accidentally dumped into the Merrimack River on Thursday.
-
By the end of the debate, about 150 men dressed in Indigenous costumes, their faces smeared with soot, stormed to a nearby wharf and dumped a literal boatload of tea into the water.
Noun
-
So where does the rubbish come from?
-
With no petrol to run dustbin trucks, rubbish is being burnt in the streets.
Noun
-
The heat softens and loosens debris in the carpet fibers so it can be vacuumed away.
-
Clean Up Birdseed and Debris Fallen birdseed and other organic debris serve as an open invitation to chipmunks.
Verb
-
Once everything is clean, discard the next few batches of ice before resuming use.
-
Nationally, the survey found that 43% of respondents always or usually discard food near or past the date on the label, up from 37% in 2016.
Noun
-
In the 1980s, the Friends of the LA River pushed to address street runoff and trash that had made the water body infamous.
-
In the city of Miami, improperly disposing trash — like taking the trash from one of your homes and throwing it away in another of your property’s bins — can result in a $525 fine.
Noun
-
Considered rare in the cosmos, super-puffs are thought to form around the disk of gas and dust around a newborn star where there is more gas than dust.
-
The dust-ups might have driven the Honeywells away from their island paradise, more casualties of the lottery curse.
Video
Some Odd Words with ISMO: "Junk in the Trunk"
Comedian ISMO on what separates a boot from a trunk
Cite this Entry
“Junk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/junk. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
