scrap

¹ American  

[skrap] / skræp /

noun

1. a small piece or portion; fragment: scraps of cloth.

   a scrap of paper;

   scraps of cloth.

2. scraps,

   1. bits or pieces of food, especially of leftover or discarded food.

   2. the remains of animal fat after the oil has been rendered; cracklings.

3. a detached piece of something written or printed.

   scraps of poetry.

4. broken, discarded, or rejected items or parts for use as raw material or in reprocessing, as old metal that can be melted and reworked.

   The two of them drive around collecting scrap to sell.

5. chips, cuttings, fragments, or other small pieces of raw material removed, cut away, flaked off, etc., in the process of making or manufacturing an item.

   Their cutting process is faster, but have you seen the amount of scrap it generates?

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adjective

1. consisting of pieces or fragments.

2. existing in the form of fragments or remnants of use only for reworking, as metal.

3. discarded or left over.

   She was fashioning a toy out of some scrap wood.

verb (used with object)

scrapped, scrapping

1. to break up into pieces for discarding or reworking.

   to scrap old cars.

2. to discard as useless, worthless, or ineffective.

   He urged that we scrap the old method of teaching mathematics.

scrap ² American  

[skrap] / skræp /

noun

1. a fight or quarrel.

   She got into a scrap with her in-laws.

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verb (used without object)

scrapped, scrapping

1. to engage in a fight or quarrel.

scrap ¹ British  

/ skræp /

noun

1. a small piece of something larger; fragment

2. an extract from something written

3. 1. waste material or used articles, esp metal, often collected and reprocessed

   2. ( as modifier )

      scrap iron

4. (plural) pieces of discarded food

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verb

1. to make into scrap

2. to discard as useless

scrap ² British  

/ skræp /

noun

1. a fight or argument

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verb

1. (intr) to quarrel or fight

Other Word Forms

• scrappingly
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of scrap¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun scrappe “scrap of food,” from Old Norse skrap, derivative of skrapa “to scrape ”

Origin of scrap²

First recorded in 1670–80; variant of scrape

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Explanation

A scrap is a little leftover bit of something. You might jot down notes on a scrap of paper, or you might toss a scrap of food to your happy dog. A scrap is typically a small item that originally was part of something larger, like a scrap of fabric that was once part of a larger piece. Scrap can also describe something that’s no longer useful. For example, you might take scrap metal to the recycling center. A final meaning of the noun scrap is "fight," as in "I got into a scrap with my brother." Scrap also has a verb form that means "discard." When you scrap your plan to move to the Bahamas, that means you’re abandoning the plan.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scrap scrapped scrapping

An on-floor engineer remarked that they sell their scrap metal, and the price has skyrocketed—something they take as a sure indication that the economy is going down the tubes.

From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026

The U.S. has been adding aluminum recycling plants, which melt old cans and scrap.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

The government said it was "consulting as soon as possible next year on private parking debt recovery fees, including on whether to cut an existing £70 cap or scrap the fees altogether".

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

Fans of the franchise can also stare morosely at the oil painting of a warship being towed away for scrap, it having been bequeathed to the nation by the artist in 1851.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Kyle had already scribbled out the answer on a scrap of paper: “Go to Liberty.”

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

The fee for connecting to your gas supply so called standing charges will be scrapped in England, Scotland and Wales, next year "or as soon as possible after", the chancellor said.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

If that second 28-day round and an additional shorter round following it fail, the effort is scrapped and new elections are called.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

South Korean giant SK Hynix, which makes memory chips needed for AI, scrapped plans for its U.S. public listing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

The company, which has five locations in Greater Tokyo and claims over one million visitors a year, scrapped its video games and token machines last year to refocus on claw machines.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

They hadn’t scrapped like this in years, since they were boys, and with a sudden sense of relief Moody laughed again even as Trip socked him in the stomach and they toppled onto the floor.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

However, its US shares fell more than eight percent Thursday after it said it was scrapping plans for an initial public offering for its US subsidiary Solidigm, citing "market conditions and share price trends".

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

Others have debated whether the Treasury might consider scrapping 20-year auctions altogether, a move that seems unlikely.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

The Hungarian parliament has voted to amend child protection laws, scrapping measures that stigmatise gay and transgender people.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

It reports that proposals include scrapping a key disability benefit for under-25s and replacing it with a multibillion-pound package of support to get into work.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

I became a popular dinner guest, with my stories of hunting and horses, of scrapping and fighting mountain fires.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

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Related Words

• chunk
• fragment
• grain
• hunk
• lump
• morsel
• shred
• sliver
• snippet
• speck

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