discard
Americanverb (used with object)
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discards,
present (3rd person singular)
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discarded,
past participle, past
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discarding
present participle
-
to cast aside or dispose of; get rid of.
to discard an old hat.
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Cards.
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to throw out (a card or cards) from one's hand.
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to play (a card, not a trump, of a different suit from that of the card led).
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verb (used without object)
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discards,
present (3rd person singular)
-
discarded,
past participle, past
-
discarding
present participle
noun
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discards
plural
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the act of discarding.
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a person or thing that is cast out or rejected.
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Cards. a card or cards discarded.
verb
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(tr) to get rid of as useless or undesirable
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cards to throw out (a card or cards) from one's hand
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cards to play (a card not of the suit led nor a trump) when unable to follow suit
noun
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a person or thing that has been cast aside
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cards a discarded card
-
the act of discarding
Usage
What does discard mean? To discard something is to dispose of it or get rid of it. In card games, to discard a card is to get rid of it, such as by putting it in the discard pile. Discard can also be used as a noun referring to a card that has been discarded. It can also be used as a noun in a general way, but this is less common. Example: You should have thought about fixing up that old chair instead of just discarding it.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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discardsimple
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discardssimple
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have discardedperfect
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has discardedperfect
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am discardingprogressive
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are discardingprogressive
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is discardingprogressive
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have been discardingperfect progressive
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has been discardingperfect progressive
Past
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discardedsimple
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had discardedperfect
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was discardingprogressive
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were discardingprogressive
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had been discardingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of discard
Explanation
When you discard something, you get rid of it. If your closet is overflowing with clothes you haven't worn since 1992, why not discard some of them? When the verb discard first entered the English language in the sixteenth century, it referred to card playing and meant “to throw a card away.” Discard is still used to describe getting rid of unlucky cards, but today, you’ll also hear it used in a broader sense — we discard, or throw away, things that are undesirable or no longer useful. You might discard a worn out shoe, for example.
Vocabulary lists containing discard
Good Riddance
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The Circuit
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Stuart Little
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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:
If the paper tears, he has to discard the lot, which is why you have to "be very delicate," the 34-year-old artisan explained.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
These search engines and chatbots could help you place a price on items you are trying to discard.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
"Consumers who have any recalled product should discard it immediately and not consume it. Refunds are available at the location of purchase," it added.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
That’s fine if the move is methodical, not fine if a health crisis turns it into a fire drill, forcing quick and painful decisions on what treasures to discard without a proper farewell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
They are festooned with clothing that the migrants discard as they begin to wade out.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
They agree to meet again, but Kip completely discards his Western life.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
This measurement, which has critics and fans, discards the categories with the most extreme inflation readings on both the high and low ends.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
Most of these businesses offer pickup at the end of the season and have partnerships with farms, where they drop off discards that become food for animals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025
It also discards homes that have been listed for more than six months, as it considers them to be unlikely to sell.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2025
Bill Brobeck in 1938, next to discards from the lab’s neutron-shielding equipment: cans filled with water.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
"Previously stored water should be discarded, and water containers must be disinfected using household bleach," officials said.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Any pretense at acceptance has long been discarded.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
Some may have been deposited as offerings during funerary ceremonies, while others appear to have been discarded as waste.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
They fashioned toys out of discarded objects and created their own street games, said David Nasaw, a historian who wrote a book about children’s lives during this period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Every year, the children watched to see that coat emerge—big and shaggy and always different, sewed with new furs, patched with discarded calicos, even velvets.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
By discarding artistic hierarchy of any kind, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is stepping into an ongoing debate about what kind of work gets to be labeled “art.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
I generally prefer, as a strategic matter, an elevation of shared values—inclusive, connective, moral language such as reclaiming, rather than reinventing or discarding.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
AFP reporters saw hundreds of people -- men, women and children -- entering Ceuta, discarding flotation rings and clothes used in their crossing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
For salad lovers, experts recommend buying whole heads of lettuce and removing and discarding the outer couple of layers of leaves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
I was continually discarding my clothes and trying new outfits.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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