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
  • Many of those names have been ridiculed for their overreliance on throwaway clichés.
    — Andrew Moshirnia, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Kris tumbles, scrambles up, and, in the movie’s best throwaway, apologizes to the advancing killer.
    — JP Mangalindan, Time, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of throwaway
Noun
  • 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
  • Supporters of the theory believe that Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan became stranded on the remote island after failing to reach Howland Island — possibly dying as castaways.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of castaway
Noun
  • The suit centered on a seconds-long clip of surveillance video featured in the documentary showing Andrews returning absentee ballots for himself and four family members at a drop box before the 2020 election.
    — Caleb Groves, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • That was because the player being replaced — match-winner Will Lankshear — took more than 10 seconds to depart while applauding the supporters.
    — George Edwards, New York Times, 18 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
  • Experts encourage people living in bear-prone areas to lock doors, keep trash and other food sources stored in bear-proof containers and avoid putting out bird feeders.
    — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Remove any unsecured trash, food and strongly-scented items including sunscreen, deodorant and Chapstick from your vehicles and yard.
    — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of trash
Noun
  • In addition to the waste chute, the left and right sides have ports providing access to the belt-tension assembly.
    — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Cutting those chemical inputs could reduce waste while also simplifying the extraction process.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of waste
Noun
  • Repair and recycling are especially interesting because the economics often determine whether something gets a second life or lands in the scrap pile.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • For arc welding, Path Robotics claims its robots typically achieve between 95 and 100 percent on first-pass yields, meaning the share of parts that pass quality inspection the first time without requiring reworking or resulting in scrap.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 17 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
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Cite this Entry

“White elephant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/white%20elephant. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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