scrap
1 Americannoun
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a small piece or portion; fragment: scraps of cloth.
a scrap of paper;
scraps of cloth.
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scraps,
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bits or pieces of food, especially of leftover or discarded food.
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the remains of animal fat after the oil has been rendered; cracklings.
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a detached piece of something written or printed.
scraps of poetry.
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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.
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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?
adjective
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consisting of pieces or fragments.
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existing in the form of fragments or remnants of use only for reworking, as metal.
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discarded or left over.
She was fashioning a toy out of some scrap wood.
verb (used with object)
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to break up into pieces for discarding or reworking.
to scrap old cars.
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to discard as useless, worthless, or ineffective.
He urged that we scrap the old method of teaching mathematics.
noun
verb (used without object)
noun
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a small piece of something larger; fragment
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an extract from something written
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waste material or used articles, esp metal, often collected and reprocessed
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( as modifier )
scrap iron
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(plural) pieces of discarded food
verb
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to make into scrap
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to discard as useless
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing scrap
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Lekjaa last Saturday had praised his "wise" move to scrap the plan in the interests of "unity and cohesion".
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
Backed by packed galleries on each hole, Fleetwood had to scrap and survive.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
Saar’s dear friend, artist and jeweler Neil Lane, recalls how she taught him to collage: slowly layering papers with matte medium and, of course, saving every scrap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
They are World War I letter openers, made from scrap wood or by blunting the edge of a military blade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
As I got closer, the spot under the surface started to look like different things: a towel, maybe a scrap of a shirt, or a dress.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
Faced with open revolt, Infantino scrapped the plan and convened a meeting of his senior staff in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
The policy was scrapped in 2023 but the UK government said it would not be applied retrospectively.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The old system used by Homeland Security was scrapped after critics questioned why the VA was processing paperwork for a different federal department.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Fifa president Gianni Infantino will meet with senior leaders of football's world governing body on Wednesday as criticism of his now scrapped plan to sell off Fifa's commercial and event operations intensifies.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Annabeth scrapped a plateful of death-bird bones into the lava.
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
The US acting attorney general said Sunday he had reached an agreement with lawmakers and issued an order officially scrapping a $1.8-billion compensation fund that has led to a standoff over his Senate confirmation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Medicare is scrapping a temporary program that helped keep the price of monthly premiums in check for older adults with Part D prescription drug plans.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Burnham is also expected to lay out a number of policies this week, including scrapping a plan to introduce compulsory ID cards and adding funding for financial support for families.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
She also said his leadership was a chance to "reset" and that scrapping the Digital ID scheme was a "small example of reprioritising".
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Dad didn’t have enough of a crew to build hay sheds, so he went back to scrapping.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
