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junk

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word junk different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of junk are cast, discard, scrap, shed, and slough. While all these words mean "to get rid of," scrap and junk imply throwing away or breaking up as worthless in existent form.

scrap all the old ways
would junk our educational system

When is it sensible to use cast instead of junk?

The meanings of cast and junk largely overlap; however, cast, especially when used with off, away, or out, implies a forceful rejection or repudiation.

cast off her friends

Where would discard be a reasonable alternative to junk?

Although the words discard and junk have much in common, discard implies the letting go or throwing away of something that has become useless or superfluous though often not intrinsically valueless.

discard old clothes

How do shed and slough relate to one another, in the sense of junk?

Shed and slough imply a throwing off of something both useless and encumbering and often suggest a consequent renewal of vitality or luster.

shed a bad habit
finally sloughed off the depression

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of junk
Noun
Nonalcoholic drinks have come a long way since the overly sweet and falsely flavored junk that dominated the market until recently. Mackensy Lunsford, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025 As space junk increases, more operators are choosing to launch without any insurance at all. Tom Brown, Space.com, 28 June 2025
Verb
That would be a drastic shift, but Trump has shown a willingness to junk political orthodoxy, as this week’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria and meet Ahmed el-Sharaa showed. J. Tedford Tyler, Time, 17 May 2025 The local hockey team made every move this season to win a Stanley Cup, from junking its goalies to shipping out a star to overhauling the entire middle of the ice. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for junk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for junk
Noun
  • Skip the tuna tartare tacos and choose the cheese: The beets make it.
    Constance Ogle, Miami Herald, 1 Aug. 2025
  • For a lighter, summer twist on the classic, Seeger also recommends swapping noodles for eggplant and adding Fontina cheese.
    Colleen McNally Arnett, Southern Living, 31 July 2025
Noun
  • In cities, they are often seen soaring above garbage dumps, marketplaces and riverbanks, scavenging for scraps and small prey.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 27 July 2025
  • Jorge was seen dropping off a black garbage bag near the building’s boiler room after the victim was discovered, neighbors said.
    Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 27 July 2025
Verb
  • Just weeks after the Thomas Fire tore through the hills above Montecito, an intense winter storm dumped several inches of rain in January 2018.
    Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 24 July 2025
  • Company insiders, also including the finance chief, have dumped $16.6 million in shares over the past 30 days.
    Alex Harring,Nick Wells, CNBC, 21 July 2025
Noun
  • North Korea has responded to previous balloon campaigns with fiery rhetoric and other shows of anger, and last year the country launched its own balloons across the border, dumping rubbish on various South Korean sites, including the presidential compound.
    Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025
  • They were were found beneath a pile of rubbish heaped just inside her front door, according to a police report released Wednesday.
    Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • Your nose is designed to filter out debris, allergens, and even tiny insects (thank those nose hairs), and it's designed to give your lungs and throat warmer, more moist air, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
    Nena Farrell, Wired News, 1 Aug. 2025
  • Starship debris clouds future of SpaceX Bahamas landings.
    Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Mold: Any signs of mold mean the dressing should be discarded.
    Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 26 July 2025
  • The example Apple Design Team member Rene Lee uses in this video is for apps that might open a certain type of file from the Files app; previously, opening a new file should have discarded the current contents of that app window and opened the new file.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 24 July 2025
Noun
  • According to the probable cause affidavit reviewed by PEOPLE in January 2023, authorities identified him after matching DNA on trash taken from Bryan's parents' home to that of the sheath of the knife used in the stabbings that was left at the crime scene.
    Jordana Comiter, People.com, 24 July 2025
  • An Afghan National Army pickup truck passes parked U.S. armored military vehicles, as smoke rises from a fire in a trash burn pit at Forward Operating Base Caferetta Nawzad, Helmand province south of Kabul, Afghanistan,...
    Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
Noun
  • Most TDEs are seen in optical and X-ray radiation occurring in galaxies with relatively little gas and dust.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 29 July 2025
  • All of these ports are hidden behind flip-up covers that protect against dust and moisture.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 29 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Junk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/junk. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

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