as in garbage
discarded or useless material
get rid of the dross before closing up the shop
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Recent Examples of dross
The downside of all of these riches is the dross accompanying the gold.
—
Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
What tabloid dross tends to obscure is his impressive career—first as a star dancer at the New York City Ballet, then as a roving choreographer of complex, dynamic work that is rooted in balletic conventions but not restricted by them.
—Sara Krolewski, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026
These meteors are the dross shed by the comet 169P/NEAT, whose path Earth crosses at this time each year.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 July 2025
Amongst all the dross and angst, Neil and Teddy try to talk everyone into investing in a baseball-card trading venture that might generate $500 in profits after a year.
—Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
But among the dross there gleam a few brilliant exceptions—deceptive, slippery books that defy the constraints of region and genre.
—Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
The chipmaker is still raising cash and cutting costs though, as there seems to be quite a bit of dross.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
Could the cotton dross, for instance, enhance a food product’s nutritional profile?
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
What tabloid dross tends to obscure is his impressive career—first as a star dancer at the New York City Ballet, then as a roving choreographer of complex, dynamic work that is rooted in balletic conventions but not restricted by them.
—Sara Krolewski, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026
These meteors are the dross shed by the comet 169P/NEAT, whose path Earth crosses at this time each year.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 July 2025
Amongst all the dross and angst, Neil and Teddy try to talk everyone into investing in a baseball-card trading venture that might generate $500 in profits after a year.
—Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
But among the dross there gleam a few brilliant exceptions—deceptive, slippery books that defy the constraints of region and genre.
—Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
The chipmaker is still raising cash and cutting costs though, as there seems to be quite a bit of dross.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
Could the cotton dross, for instance, enhance a food product’s nutritional profile?
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dross
Noun
-
Adebayo’s pursuit of history transformed a garbage-time snoozer into a highly competitive game within the game.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Late one night in Payatas, a shantytown near a garbage dump in Manila’s outskirts, Santiago knocked on the door of a funeral office.—
Sheila Coronel,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Mar. 2026
-
How To Dethatch Your Lawn The day before dethatching, mow your lawn as usual to trim the grass and remove excess debris from the lawn, then water the lawn lightly.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The study confirmed direct dumping by boats, with evidence of bags full of rubbish thrown overboard.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Researchers found evidence of bags full of rubbish being thrown overboard, identifiable by pile-up patterns on the seabed.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And plenty of humans would appreciate a better understanding of how to convince trash pandas a puzzle isn’t worth investigating any more.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Just ridiculous signing all of these retreads off the trash heap.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Some of the mandatory junk fees could total $1,700 a year per renter, alleged the suit, and prospective tenants also paid non-refundable reservation and application fees ranging from $55 up to $500.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
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Oracle's 5-year credit default swaps widened as bond investors were skeptical of the enterprise software company's ability to hold on to its investment-grade credit rating, currently two notches above junk.—
Seema Mody,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Stars have left the Mammoth in their dust with their recent streak, now a full 20 points ahead of Utah in the standings.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The states that fall for the tax-the-rich mania will be left in the dust, with failing economies and shrinking political clout in Congress.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The church, which as of late February was little more than a pile of rubble, is on Northeast Second Avenue, El Portal’s main artery.—
Catherine Odom,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Residents helped to clear away rubble caused by the blast, which appeared to hit an apartment block, as vehicles sat covered in dust with their windows shattered and rubble strewn across the road.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dross.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dross. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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