white elephants

noun

plural of white elephant
as in castaways

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for white elephants
  1. castaways
  2. rubbish
  3. seconds
Noun
  • Both are works in that long tradition of castaways forced to survive, but in many ways, Crusoe—a colonist and capitalist and the later a jaundiced observer of the worst excesses of those systems—is the opposite of Gulliver.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
  • As fans recall, season 50 featured a guest appearance by MrBeast, who challenged the castaways to correctly guess a coin toss to double the $1 million prize.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of castaways
Noun
  • The robots are expected to handle several tasks, including stocking and organizing shelves, preparing coffee and hot food, greeting customers, and clearing rubbish.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Voters on Wednesday will elect councilors, who will then choose mayors to oversee municipal services, including water, sanitation and rubbish collection.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of rubbish
Noun
  • The Flames took a 3-2 lead to the third period, but when Matt Coronato was sent off for delay of game 17 seconds in, the Ducks’ red-hot power play took advantage with Carlsson tying it at 55 seconds.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The remarkably smooth ride up to the top travels 500 feet high in 60 seconds.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of seconds
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 elephant
white elephants
white-faced
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Cite this Entry

“White elephants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/white%20elephants. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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