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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
And Doctorow asserts Amazon began charging merchants junk fees. NPR, 21 Oct. 2025 Tens of thousands of pieces of space junk — and millions more smaller bits of orbital debris — are cluttered in low Earth orbit, the narrow band of space where many telecommunications and GPS satellites circle the planet. Denise Chow, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
His command has improved, and he’s gone from getting lit up against lefties to passable by junking his split-change, using a different grip for a true changeup to give him a viable option against left-handed hitters. Keith Law, New York Times, 31 July 2025 Streaming’s surge is powered by younger consumers who have junked the TV habit or never picked it up in the first place. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for junk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for junk
Noun
  • The healthy-dose of cheese in this recipe will convert even the most ardent broccoli hater.
    Patricia S York, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Turkey meal includes mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, broccoli salad; ham meal includes mac and cheese, turnip greens, broccoli salad, hashbrown casserole.
    Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • One officer allegedly found garbage bags inside a large freezer that were later determined to contain the remains of a female, the station reported.
    Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Milivojevic, meanwhile, has benefited with garbage-time appearances over the last four games, putting up three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the process.
    Christian Romo, Freep.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Somewhere beyond the brush, two frightened dogs — caught on video being dumped and abandoned — were still waiting, as if the person who left them might return.
    Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Drone footage showed catastrophic flooding that turned streets into rivers, submerged homes and overturned cars as Typhoon Kalmaegi, known locally as Tino, dumped more than a month’s worth of rain in only 24 hours in some areas.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • When firefighters arrived at the scene, multiple cars and piles of rubbish were on fire.
    Julia Gomez, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
  • One hurdle for these editors is that far-right hate is more conducive to digital slop, both because algorithms prize outlandish ragebait and because the tribalistic ideas themselves are low IQ rubbish.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Gas and dust fall into a rotating disk around the black hole, and as the debris spirals more rapidly, it becomes superheated, releasing intense radiation.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Reserve the smooth strained mixture and discard any solids.
    Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Health inspectors cite the bagel shop after the half-and-half at the customer self-service counter was not discarded at the appropriate time.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • However, do not compost plant debris and soil of plants that had pest and disease issues, but dispose of it in the trash.
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Wayne’s body was found by a passing driver in a northeast Aurora field littered with trash and debris one month after she was last seen alive, with her clothes and purse were strewn about the area, according to the affidavit.
    Katie Langford, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The best deal on the list belongs to this small but mighty handheld vacuum cleaner that can snatch up pet fur, dust, dirt, and more debris from furniture in a flash.
    Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Gas and dust fall into a rotating disk around the black hole, and as the debris spirals more rapidly, it becomes superheated, releasing intense radiation.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Junk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/junk. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

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