junk

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈjəŋk 

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)

: clutter sense 1b

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

3

slang : narcotics

especially : heroin

4

: junk bond

5

: baseball pitches that break or are off-speed (such as curveballs or changeups)

6

slang : male genitalia

junk

2 of 3

verb

junked; junking; junks

transitive verb

: to get rid of as worthless : scrap

junk

3 of 3

noun (2)

: 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

Illustration of junk

• ³junk

Synonyms of junk

Noun (1)

• cheese
• rubbish
• trash

Verb

• dump
• discard
• unload
• ditch
• scrap
• lose

Choose the Right Synonym for junk

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 junk in a Sentence

Noun (1)

couldn't believe that such junk was chosen to be read for the book club

my car is junk—it spends more time in the shop than on the road

junk on the side of the road waiting for the trash collection

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

Noun

One woman was paying $600 per month to live in a storage shed in the muddy backyard cluttered with junk and dotted with dog poop. —Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026

Read Britannica Money’s guide to the FTC junk fees rule. —Bydoug Ashburn, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026

Verb

During his first term, Trump was a rare Republican supporter of junking the rule. —W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026

Sensing the game might be getting away, Georgia coach Kirby Smart appeared to junk any semblance of conservatism in favor of straight-up gambling in the second half of a quarterfinal College Football Playoff clash against Mississippi at the Sugar Bowl. —CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English jonke

Noun (2)

Portuguese junco, from Javanese joṅ

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1911, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1555, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing junk

• a piece of junk
• junk art
• junk bond
• junk DNA
• junk email
• junk food
• junk mail
• junk sculpture

Rhymes for junk

• bunk
• chunk
• clunk
• drunk
• dunk
• hunk
• punk
• shrunk
• slunk
• spunk
• sunk
• trunk

Video

Some Odd Words with ISMO: "Junk in the Trunk"

Comedian ISMO on what separates a boot from a trunk

Kids Definition

junk

1 of 3 noun

ˈjəŋk 

1

: articles discarded as worthless

2

: something of poor quality : trash

3

slang : narcotic entry 1 sense 1

especially : heroin

junky

ˈjəŋ-kē 

adjective

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"