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junk

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verb

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of junk are cast, discard, scrap, shed, and slough. While all these words mean "to get rid of," scrap and junk imply throwing away or breaking up as worthless in existent form.

scrap all the old ways
would junk our educational system

When is it sensible to use cast instead of junk?

The meanings of cast and junk largely overlap; however, cast, especially when used with off, away, or out, implies a forceful rejection or repudiation.

cast off her friends

Where would discard be a reasonable alternative to junk?

Although the words discard and junk have much in common, discard implies the letting go or throwing away of something that has become useless or superfluous though often not intrinsically valueless.

discard old clothes

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

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 junk
Noun
Related article Kennedy’s HHS sent Congress ‘junk science’ to defend vaccine changes, experts say The committee is scheduled to meet June 25 to discuss vaccines for Covid-19, cytomegalovirus, HPV, flu and other diseases. Sarah Owermohle, CNN Money, 13 June 2025 Skip the junk drawer and move tools, lightbulbs, and hardware to a utility space or toolbox. Tessa Cooper, Southern Living, 17 June 2025
Verb
The local hockey team made every move this season to win a Stanley Cup, from junking its goalies to shipping out a star to overhauling the entire middle of the ice. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2025 The biggest sleight of hand in the film belongs to production designer Julian Wagner, who scoured the internet to buy as much gear as possible that was used in and around 1972, no small task because such equipment was junked decades ago. Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for junk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for junk
Noun
  • Hit a homerun at your celebration with these hearty seasoned beef hamburgers studded with cheddar cheese, onions, and roasted poblano peppers.
    Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 26 June 2025
  • Wallace commented on Krakow and Rosenbaum’s post, adding wine and cheese emojis.
    Lauren Harvey, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • In the first images of Read since her second trial, Fox News Digital exclusively captured the 45-year-old wheeling a garbage bin outside her Boston hotel.
    Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 21 June 2025
  • Seal garbage tightly in bags, and rinse out bottles and cans before placing in recycling bins.
    Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • Replace status dumps with two-way updates and invite feedback and surface risks early.
    Dr. Cynthia J. Young, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
  • But if the Orioles are willing to dump him off for next to nothing, the Mets could explore the idea.
    Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • North Korea has responded to previous balloon campaigns with fiery rhetoric and other shows of anger, and last year the country launched its own balloons across the border, dumping rubbish on various South Korean sites, including the presidential compound.
    Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025
  • They were were found beneath a pile of rubbish heaped just inside her front door, according to a police report released Wednesday.
    Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • Chavez's action on that night left the crowd at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, showering the ring with debris.
    Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
  • After 9/11, undocumented immigrants were tasked with cleaning up the debris of the World Trade Center, as Karla Cornejo Villavicencio showed in her book The Undocumented Americans.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • Analysts say Ukraine is among the countries that are the most affected by land mines and discarded explosives as a result of Russia’s ongoing war.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
  • One defense expert suggested that O’Keefe’s injuries were caused by a dog, backing up the defense’s theory that O’Keefe was beaten inside the home of a fellow cop, attacked by his dog and discarded outside during a blizzard.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • But despite the state’s best efforts to educate citizens on the importance of removing bird feeders, trash and food from yards, human-bear interactions continue to rise, showcasing a growing concern that bears are becoming less afraid of humans.
    Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025
  • On trash pickup days, cans should be set out the morning of, not the night before, officials said.
    Helena Wegner, Idaho Statesman, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • This more comprehensive rating offers the same water resistance, but now adds protection from dust and other small particles.
    Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
  • Then, at the end of each day, Bridges returns to his private quarters, relieves himself, and showers the dust and blood from his body.
    Simon Parkin, The Atlantic, 23 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Junk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/junk. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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