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
Loren A. Yadon, idahostatesman, 8 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offscouring
Noun
-
In the early days, Romanucci and Blandin started in a small office with a card table and a plastic bag for the garbage.—
Gregory Royal Pratt,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Grant Nelson, signed to a 10-day contract earlier in the afternoon, saw garbage minutes late alongside Wolf, Ben Saraf, Jalen Wilson and Ochai Agbaji.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
New rejects include four additional variations of 04FCSK and several other attempts at sneaking in the f-word, including 0F0KS and 0FUX4U. Other additions include: 1. 0GB0SS 2. 0HCR4P 3. B4DAZZ 4.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
These days, the aviary houses parakeets that are mostly rejects from friends whose kids got bored with them.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Suggestions for this zone are to remove combustible items and vegetation; screen vents and fill gaps in or totally enclose eaves; and clear debris from a home’s roof, gutters and deck.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
-
In both cases, the damage seems to have stemmed from attacks on nearby ports or from falling debris from drone interceptions.—
Michael Christopher Low,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There are no varsity quarterbacks or Olympic hopefuls among these quirkmasters, just a heaping of outcasts who believe their lot in life rests on words like capybara and tittup.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Thomas Harris grew up in the South as a bookish outcast, reading the works of Ernest Hemingway and Jonathan Swift.—
Costa Beavin Pappas,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The language allowed trash-taking sugar critics to be hauled into court, not only for dissing sugar, but for dissing how it is grown.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2026
-
According to the report, officers responded to a dispatch call describing Petit as a transient carrying a gun and lighting trash on fire in a residential neighborhood.—
Andrea Klick,
Daily News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Both narratives describe key moments from Francis’ early years: After taking a vow of poverty, Francis begged for alms and also worked in leper colonies near Assisi.—
Vanessa Corcoran,
The Conversation,
2 Feb. 2026
-
The palpable aversion to what has become the enterprise software leper colony doesn't help tech's case either.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Over time, that greasy film that settles on your wood cabinets can trap dirt and dust, making the buildup hard to remove.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Eleven years later, Ajo resident Bill Eltzroth complained to the county and ADEQ that the facility’s operations coated his back porch in thick black dust.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Ford Aerospace Company was nearby, but the immediate area was known more for a buffalo ranch and a landfill, where residents of Santa Ana and other nearby cities would drop off rubbish in Newport Beach.—
Richard Dunn,
Oc Register,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Piles of human scraps offer a bottomless buffet to wildlife, and to access that bounty, animals need to be bold enough to rummage through human rubbish but not so bold as to become a threat to people.—
Marina Wang,
Scientific American,
14 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offscouring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offscouring. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
