SCRAP Synonyms: 390 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'scrap' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of scrap are cast , discard , junk , 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

Q: When can 'cast' be used instead of 'scrap'?

In some situations, the words cast and scrap are roughly equivalent. However, cast , especially when used with off, away , or out , implies a forceful rejection or repudiation. // cast off her friends

Q: When could 'discard' be used to replace 'scrap'?

While the synonyms discard and scrap are close in meaning, discard implies the letting go or throwing away of something that has become useless or superfluous though often not intrinsically valueless. // discard old clothes

Q: How are the words 'shed' and 'slough' related as synonyms of 'scrap'?

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 1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈskrap

Definition of scrap

as in remainder

an unused or unwanted piece or item typically of small size or value only a scrap of silk was left on the sewing table after they had finished the project

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

whole

as in fragment

a broken or irregular part of something that often remains incomplete a scrap of paper fluttered to the floor

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in speck

a very small piece brushed away a scrap of lint

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in garbage

discarded or useless material the rest of this stuff is just scrap, so sweep it up and throw it away

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

scrap

2 of 4

noun (2)

as in dispute

an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions the state legislature's annual scrap over the budget

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as in fight

a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups several drunken revelers were involved in a scrap outside of the nightclub

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

truce

scrap

3 of 4

verb (1)

as in to bicker

to express different opinions about something often angrily the young couple often scrapped about money and their very disparate spending habits

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

scrap

4 of 4

verb (2)

as in to dump

to get rid of as useless or unwanted we've decided to scrap the second car

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to abandon

to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to) we scrapped our plans to go to Paris, and set out the next day for Prague

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of scrap are cast, discard, junk, 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 can cast be used instead of scrap?

In some situations, the words cast and scrap are roughly equivalent. However, cast, especially when used with off, away, or out, implies a forceful rejection or repudiation.

cast off her friends

When could discard be used to replace scrap?

While the synonyms discard and scrap are close in meaning, 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 are the words shed and slough related as synonyms of scrap?

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 scrap

Noun

Rather than being relegated to the scrap yard, the structure was placed into storage and is scheduled to go on public display when the London Museum reopens in November. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 10 Aug. 2026 On Monday, compostable cups, cutlery and bin liners were mixed in with a delivery of food scraps and lobster shells. — ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026

Verb

The old system used by Homeland Security was scrapped after critics questioned why the VA was processing paperwork for a different federal department. — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 The current regulations would be mostly scrapped, leaving providers to only abide by state rules that are often much less stringent or nonexistent. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scrap

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrap

Noun

But instead of oxygen making up the rest, that remainder is composed of tough-to-breathe methane and molecular hydrogen.

— Phil Plait, Scientific American, 31 July 2026
Chawinga thumped her chest with pride after scoring her country’s first-ever WAFCON goal, which set off an intoxicating remainder of the match.

— Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 28 July 2026

Definition of remainder

Noun

The meteors are tiny fragments shed by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle that burn up in Earth’s atmosphere at about 37 miles (59 kilometers) per second.

— Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Standouts include fragments of original mosaics, old blueprints, and digital reconstructions to show how the building has changed over the centuries.

— CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of fragment

Noun

For millions of people with geographic atrophy, the speck in their vision is far more literal and can eventually lead to blindness.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 Aug. 2026
Pay close attention to where leaves meet the stem, the underside of leaves, and within the petals for any movement or tiny specks.

— Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of speck

Noun

Marcy had her hair tied up with a bow made from nylon cord and was bent over a fold-up kitchen counter rearranging wet garbage.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026
Polls show Farage is still likely to win, but that Count Binface — a spoof candidate who wears a garbage pail on his head — may get around 20-percent of the vote.

— Lauren Frayer, NPR, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of garbage

Noun

The release of Fauci's text messages could further rekindle a yearslong dispute between Fauci and congressional Republicans about how the federal government's former top infectious disease expert responded to the coronavirus pandemic.

— Joe Walsh, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Creditors rarely challenge such plans because most disputes are resolved earlier.

— Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of dispute

Noun

The fight over the plan to sell off parts of the World Cup and other signature FIFA events to private businesses has tested that bulletproof presidency.

— Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
The vote capped off a bruising confirmation fight, with Blanche’s loyalty to Trump at the center of the stalemate.

— Alanna Durkin Richer, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of fight

Verb

There’s striker Josie Gordon, bickering twin sisters Siobhan and Niamh, glove-shunning goalie Katie ‘Boots’ Quinn and couple Maddie and Margy.

— Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Still bloody in last night’s clothing, the two fill a cart with candy and bicker contentedly about the state of the candy industry—arguably also a wink at the state of film.

— JP Mangalindan, Time, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of bicker

Verb

Thousands of gallons of crude oil were dumped into the river in May when a construction crew trying to lay fiber-optic cable hit a pipeline carrying the substance from Kern County to the Port of Los Angeles.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026
Homeowners tend to dump seed straight onto compacted, untilled soil and expect grass to appear.

— Amanda Tust, Architectural Digest, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of dump

Browse Nearby Words

scrams

scrap

scrapbook

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Scrap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrap. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of scrap

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