Illustration of junk
- 3junk
1
a(1)
: old iron, glass, paper, or other waste that may be used again in some form
(2)
: secondhand, worn, or discarded articles
(3)
b
: something of poor quality : trash
c
: something of little meaning, worth, or significance
2
: pieces of old cable or cordage used especially to make gaskets, mats, swabs, or oakum
4
5
: baseball pitches that break or are off-speed (such as curveballs or changeups)
6
slang
: male genitalia
: any of various ships of Chinese waters with bluff lines, a high poop and overhanging stem, little or no keel, high pole masts, and a deep rudder
Synonyms
Noun (1)
Verb
Examples of junk in a Sentence
Verb
We decided to junk our old computer and buy a new one.
we'll have to junk this old car
Recent Examples on the Web
Tik Root, WIRED, 30 Mar. 2024
The nation still generates 60 percent of its electricity with fossil fuels (43 percent of it from natural gas) and until that changes, junking a gas stove is roughly a wash for the planet.
—Tik Root, Grist, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Prints were often stripped of their silver content and junked.
—Dan Barry, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024
Her characters are often antique pickers, interior designers, real estate agents, location scouts, house flippers and those who go on junking trips.
—Marni Jameson, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2024
Computer manufacturers also installed all kinds of additional support software, registration screens, and other things that generally extended the setup process and junked up your Start menu and desktop.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 21 Aug. 2023
And then the Republicans junked that plan and passed a map that was tilted wildly in their favor.
—Kyle Whitmire | Kwhitmire@al.com, al, 23 Aug. 2023
The cost to repair it was onerous, and Hilton had no option but to junk it.
—Susan Orlean, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2022
Pension costs have weighed on the city’s credit rating for years, which partly spurred Moody’s Investors Service to downgrade the city to junk in 2015.
—Shruti Singh, Bloomberg.com, 21 Oct. 2020
Dylan Wickman, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
Many people believe that only spam, junk or generally ‘useless’ emails end up in the spam folder.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
But the beach grew more crowded each year — not with people, but junk.
RELATED:Lethal inaction: The era of 'eco-anxiety' is here.
—Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
At the top of a roller-coaster hill in Highland Park, Thomas Zamora and his husband, Raul Rojas, enjoy two spectacular views — of the Pasadena hills to the east and of the meandering expanse of native plants, succulents and vegetables in a backyard that once was nothing but dirt and junk cars.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
What’s happening with PDI—and with corporate-bond funds in general—proves the old adage that one man’s junk is, indeed, another’s treasure.
—Michael Foster, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
After crafting multiple sick rhymes about Barry Keoghan’s junk, summon wee faeries to mop brow with silken kerchief.
—Johanna Gohmann, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024
Related article Credit card late fees capped at $8 as part of Biden crackdown on junk fees
Typically swipe fees cost merchants 2% of the total transaction a customer makes but can be as much as 4% for some premium rewards cards, according to the National Retail Federation.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 26 Mar. 2024
The rest is likely brain-cell-destroying junk that others have sent me in texts and group chats.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
The nation still generates 60 percent of its electricity with fossil fuels (43 percent of it from natural gas), and until that changes, junking a gas stove is roughly a wash for the planet.
—Tik Root, WIRED, 30 Mar. 2024
The nation still generates 60 percent of its electricity with fossil fuels (43 percent of it from natural gas) and until that changes, junking a gas stove is roughly a wash for the planet.
—Tik Root, Grist, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Prints were often stripped of their silver content and junked.
—Dan Barry, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024
Her characters are often antique pickers, interior designers, real estate agents, location scouts, house flippers and those who go on junking trips.
—Marni Jameson, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2024
Computer manufacturers also installed all kinds of additional support software, registration screens, and other things that generally extended the setup process and junked up your Start menu and desktop.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 21 Aug. 2023
And then the Republicans junked that plan and passed a map that was tilted wildly in their favor.
—Kyle Whitmire | Kwhitmire@al.com, al, 23 Aug. 2023
The cost to repair it was onerous, and Hilton had no option but to junk it.
—Susan Orlean, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2022
Pension costs have weighed on the city’s credit rating for years, which partly spurred Moody’s Investors Service to downgrade the city to junk in 2015.
—Shruti Singh, Bloomberg.com, 21 Oct. 2020
Noun
Court documents stated there was no indication of firearms at the residence other than two cartridges found buried beneath junk items.
—Dylan Wickman, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
Many people believe that only spam, junk or generally ‘useless’ emails end up in the spam folder.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
But the beach grew more crowded each year — not with people, but junk.
RELATED:Lethal inaction: The era of 'eco-anxiety' is here.
—Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
At the top of a roller-coaster hill in Highland Park, Thomas Zamora and his husband, Raul Rojas, enjoy two spectacular views — of the Pasadena hills to the east and of the meandering expanse of native plants, succulents and vegetables in a backyard that once was nothing but dirt and junk cars.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
What’s happening with PDI—and with corporate-bond funds in general—proves the old adage that one man’s junk is, indeed, another’s treasure.
—Michael Foster, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
After crafting multiple sick rhymes about Barry Keoghan’s junk, summon wee faeries to mop brow with silken kerchief.
—Johanna Gohmann, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024
Related article Credit card late fees capped at $8 as part of Biden crackdown on junk fees
Typically swipe fees cost merchants 2% of the total transaction a customer makes but can be as much as 4% for some premium rewards cards, according to the National Retail Federation.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 26 Mar. 2024
The rest is likely brain-cell-destroying junk that others have sent me in texts and group chats.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'junk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Video
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Comedian ISMO on what separates a boot from a trunk
Dictionary Entries Near junk
Cite this Entry
“Junk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/junk. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
junk
2 of 3 verb
: to get rid of as worthless : scrap
junk
3 of 3 noun
: a ship of eastern Asia with a high stern and four-cornered sails
Etymology
Noun
Middle English jonke "piece of old or worn-out rope"
Noun
from Portuguese junco "a Chinese ship"
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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