offscouring

noun

ˈȯf-ˌskau̇(-ə)r-iŋ How to pronounce offscouring (audio)
Definition of offscouringnext
1
as in garbage
discarded or useless material the foundry's offscouring was the neighborhood's eyesore

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in reject
one who is cast out or rejected by society the hills are controlled by bandits and other unsavory offscourings who have taken up a life outside the law

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 offscouring The first-century audience to whom Jesus was teaching was comprised mainly of peasants, tradesmen, farmers, shepherds, the unemployed and the offscouring of society. — Loren A. Yadon, idahostatesman, 8 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offscouring
  1. garbage
  2. reject
  3. debris
  4. outcast
  5. trash
  6. leper
  7. dust
  8. rubbish
Noun
  • The growing garbage fire has warped a landfill hillside, which could potentially trigger and avalanche of garbage and leachate.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
  • In the third, Brock Boeser and Jamie Oleksiak scored what seemed like garbage-time goals.
    — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of garbage
Noun
  • All three are crime drama-thrillers, the most exportable and ordered of program types, but all three reject tropes of the genre.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Pollock's rejects were the source material for Bald Eagle, according to Kumar.
    — Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of reject
Noun
  • The crash, which occurred in a flat stretch surrounded by olive fields in between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes, left carriages shredded into bits of metal and other material, scattering debris down a gravel slope.
    — JOSEPH WILSON, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026
  • This clarifying toner exfoliates skin to gently remove debris and dead skin cells, while rosemary, aloe, and chamomile extract soften and soothe.
    — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of debris
Noun
  • Lee’s films have often zeroed in on misfits and outcasts, cut off from society’s embrace.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • An orphan and an outcast, Colman’s fisherwoman wasn’t raised to fit in.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of outcast
Noun
  • The danger can begin when a battery is placed in a trash or recycling bin, Klein said.
    — Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The rats tear open trash bags and seem to resist mitigation efforts, including poison, peppermint spray and even freezing trash until collection day.
    — Joe Brandt, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of trash
Noun
  • The best part of the movie is Murray Bartlett’s wise leper, a man who for the vast majority of his screen time is covered head to toe.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026
  • Robin also strikes up a friendship with a soulful, philosophical leper (Murray Bartlett, covered in wrappings from head to toe), who somehow recognizes his good qualities.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2026
Definition of leper
Noun
  • But there are actual terrifying objects in space, entities operating on a scale that crush our minds and reduce our human experience to a mote of dust floating in the dark.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Keep appliances clean and free of dust, following the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions.
    — Lynn Andriani, Martha Stewart, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of dust
Noun
  • Both men were arrested and charged with criminal mischief, criminal conspiracy and scattering rubbish.
    — Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Twisted Teens are far from rubbish, but that isn't stopping them from playing in the trash for their latest music video.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of rubbish

Browse Nearby Words

offs
offscouring
offscourings
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Offscouring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offscouring. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wraith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All