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white elephant

noun

Definition of white elephantnext
as in throwaway

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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
  • Meet the 'Survivor' 51 castaways Are there any players from Michigan on 'Survivor' 51?
    — Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 27 Aug. 2026
  • On Survivor, the strongest castaways are often eliminated early because they are perceived as threats.
    — Erik Clarke, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of castaway
Noun
  • Ole Miss moves into the top 10 for its last-second win against another top-25 opponent in Louisville.
    — Chris Vannini, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Senior receiver Mikey Matthews made a significant contribution, catching four passes for 88 yards, including a deep ball with 13 seconds left at the end of the first half that allowed UCLA to kick a field goal and take a seven-point lead.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 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
  • It will then be loaded up with trash and sent down to a fiery death in Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • These community governance groups rely on owner dues and assessments to cover shared amenities, like pools, trash collection, and lawn maintenance.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of trash
Noun
  • For Jena to come out as this strong of a supporter means that my energy hasn't been a waste.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • In six states, Medicare beneficiaries must get preapproval for a few treatments that CMS considers to have little clinical benefit and to be susceptible to fraud or waste, including skin substitutes and knee arthroscopy for arthritis.
    — Stephanie Armour, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of waste
Noun
  • Perhaps that’s why the show at Scully’s feels so major; by incorporating scraps of New York into the work, Prieto is finally metabolizing a piece of the city.
    — Jill Singer, Curbed, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Others were owned by a forklift manufacturer in New Bremen, Ohio; a Long Island scrap-metal recycler; and a slew of auto dealers.
    — Eric Zwick, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 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.

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white dwarfs
white elephant
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Cite this Entry

“White elephant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/white%20elephant. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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