discard

1 of 2

verb

dis·​card dis-ˈkärd How to pronounce discard (audio)
ˈdis-ˌkärd
discarded; discarding; discards

transitive verb

1
: to get rid of especially as useless or unwanted
a pile of discarded tires
They quickly discarded the idea.
2
a
: to remove (a playing card) from one's hand (see hand entry 1 sense 7a(1))
discarded an ace
b
: to play (any card except a trump) from a suit different from the one led

intransitive verb

: to discard a playing card
discard at the end of your turn
discardable
dis-ˈkärd-də-bəl How to pronounce discard (audio)
ˈdis-ˌkär-
adjective
discarder noun

discard

2 of 2

noun

dis·​card ˈdis-ˌkärd How to pronounce discard (audio)
1
a
: the act of removing a playing card from one's hand : the act of discarding (see discard entry 1 sense 2a)
b
: a card discarded
collected the discards
2
: one that is cast off or rejected
Choose the Right Synonym for discard

discard, cast, shed, slough, scrap, junk mean to get rid of.

discard implies the letting go or throwing away of something that has become useless or superfluous though often not intrinsically valueless.

discard old clothes

cast, especially when used with off, away, or out, implies a forceful rejection or repudiation.

cast off her friends

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

scrap and junk imply throwing away or breaking up as worthless in existent form.

scrap all the old ways
would junk our educational system

Examples of discard in a Sentence

Verb Remove and discard the stems. a pile of discarded tires She discarded the six of hearts. Noun toss all of your discards in the garbage
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
As the time the kidney sits outside the body increases, and every decline increases the chances the kidney gets discarded. Joshua Mezrich, STAT, 2 Mar. 2024 Officers found the phone discarded in the area and returned it to the victim after processing it for fingerprints. Jason Green, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024 Any affected products should be discarded or can be returned at the place of purchase. Korin Miller, Health, 29 Feb. 2024 The broken blade was discarded, left to the dirt of the plains, according to a new study published in January in the Journal of the North Texas Archeological Society. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024 This curiosity seems to defy the teachings of Charles Darwin, who theorized that evolution discards what no longer serves the survival of a species. Robert Pearl, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 When the squash are cool enough to handle, cut or tear into big pieces, then scoop out and discard the stems, seeds and stringy bits. Ali Slagle, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024 As with most foods, any unusual discoloration or strange smells coming from your rice mean your leftovers should be discarded. Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2024 In some cases, these embryos are donated or discarded. Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024
Noun
West takes the ace and leads another club, but declarer wins and leads a second heart, setting up his queen for a diamond discard from dummy. Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024 In my opinion, producing good informative or tactical discards is quite demanding. Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2024 East discards, and South’s jack loses to the queen. Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024 Additional interviews led Bluey to an individual who received the discards in question from the processor. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 21 Dec. 2023 Countries like Chile, Haiti, and Uganda became depositories for fast fashion discards. Julia Shipley, WIRED, 13 Jan. 2024 However, anecdotal reports of burros gnawing the latex paint off wood house trim, sauntering into neighborhoods on trash pickup days to sample the smorgasbord of urban discards, and wandering out into local highways to fight over territory and harems have increased in recent months. Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023 Use a sharp knife to loosen the edges of the skins; gently pull off the skins in strips and discard. Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 July 2023 Pour drippings from roasting pan into a heatproof bowl; reserve fat for another purpose or discard. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 13 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1578, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1719, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of discard was circa 1578

Dictionary Entries Near discard

Cite this Entry

“Discard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discard. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

discard

1 of 2 verb
dis·​card dis-ˈkärd How to pronounce discard (audio)
ˈdis-ˌkärd
1
: to remove a playing card from one's hand
2
: to get rid of as useless or unwanted
discard an old hat
discardable adjective

discard

2 of 2 noun
dis·​card ˈdis-ˌkärd How to pronounce discard (audio)
1
: the act of discarding in a card game
2
: a person or thing cast off or rejected

More from Merriam-Webster on discard

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