white elephant

noun

Definition of white elephantnext
as in throwaway

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for white elephant
  1. throwaway
  2. castaway
  3. second
  4. rubbish
  5. trash
  6. waste
  7. scrap
Noun
  • But the movie doesn’t require much of anyone in the ensemble; comedians like Chloe Fineman, Chris Parnell and Fortune Feimster are wasted in throwaway roles.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
  • Normalizing violence should, in itself, be a red line, and its resumption or threat not reduced to a throwaway remark.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
Definition of throwaway
Noun
  • Gilligan’s Island, American television sitcom about a group of castaways on a desert island and the chaos that ensues as their attempts at rescue are constantly thwarted.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Supporters of the theory believe that Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan became stranded on the remote island after failing to reach Howland Island — possibly dying as castaways.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of castaway
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
  • Hong Kong — A Chinese rocket set to launch a satellite into orbit blew-up seconds after liftoff Monday, marking the relatively rare failure for a rocket considered a workhorse of Beijing’s space program.
    — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of second
Noun
  • This comes at the expense of no movement in the wrist, but to be fair, having the lightsaber pointed in any other direction would look rubbish.
    — Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Only construction waste will be accepted at the landfill such as, brush and rubbish, concrete, brick, rock, wood, paper, plastics, cardboard and roofing shingles and tiles.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026
Definition of rubbish
Noun
  • Debris Tree limbs, broken glass, metal, trash, or other materials could fall into or around the water during a storm.
    — Heidi Moawad, Verywell Health, 8 Aug. 2026
  • That amount of waste would fill roughly 440,000 curbside trash bins.
    — Celina Tebor, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of trash
Noun
  • As of Wednesday, Lineage has removed approximately 80% of the food waste from the Boyle Heights warehouse.
    — Celina Tebor, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Refill stores and zero waste shops around the Bay Area are also stocked with alternatives.
    — Anne Makovec, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of waste
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, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of scrap
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.

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white dwarfs
white elephant
white elephants
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Cite this Entry

“White elephant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/white%20elephant. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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