white elephant

noun

Definition of white elephantnext
as in throwaway

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for white elephant
  1. throwaway
  2. castaway
  3. second
  4. rubbish
  5. trash
  6. waste
  7. scrap
Noun
  • Jeremiah Martin had a quarterback hurry on third down, forcing a throwaway.
    — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The building happens in the routine meeting, the throwaway comment, the small disagreement, the decision about whether to credit someone whose contribution was easy to overlook.
    — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of throwaway
Noun
  • On Survivor, the strongest castaways are often eliminated early because they are perceived as threats.
    — Erik Clarke, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Gilligan’s Island, American television sitcom about a group of castaways on a desert island and the chaos that ensues as their attempts at rescue are constantly thwarted.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of castaway
Noun
  • The crucial testimony centered on exactly what happened during the final few seconds of Cantu’s life.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Mostly, the cast comes across as a group of friends and co-workers trying to produce comedy together, while fully aware that winning Game Changer just means getting two seconds of celebration and a gag prize.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of second
Noun
  • This comes at the expense of no movement in the wrist, but to be fair, having the lightsaber pointed in any other direction would look rubbish.
    — Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Only construction waste will be accepted at the landfill such as, brush and rubbish, concrete, brick, rock, wood, paper, plastics, cardboard and roofing shingles and tiles.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026
Definition of rubbish
Noun
  • Police said Snelling hid her dead infant, found wrapped in a towel, inside a black trash bag in a closet.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Over the past few years, a steady increase has been reported of workers getting poked by needles in the trash.
    — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of trash
Noun
  • This potential value is why nuclear waste storage is so complex.
    — David Szondy August 22, New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2026
  • On Choosing Solid Gold For Your Stack Buying solid gold never feels like a waste.
    — Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of waste
Noun
  • This includes unsecured trash, food scraps, pet food, bird feeders, grills, and other outdoor sources.
    — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Production counts are entered at shift end, scrap is recorded after inspection, downtime is logged manually, and energy consumption is often allocated rather than measured.
    — Claudio Laterreur, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of scrap
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.

Browse Nearby Words

white dwarfs
white elephant
white elephants
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“White elephant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/white%20elephant. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tilde

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'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

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
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
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All