junk

¹ American  

[juhngk] / dʒʌŋk /

noun

1. any old or discarded material, as metal, paper, or rags.

   Synonyms:

   refuse, debris, litter, rubbish

2. anything that is regarded as worthless, meaningless, or contemptible; trash.

   Synonyms:

   refuse, debris, litter, rubbish

3. old cable or cordage used when untwisted for making gaskets, swabs, oakum, etc.

4. Nautical Slang. salt junk.

5. Baseball Slang. relatively slow, unorthodox pitches that are deceptive to the batter in movement or pace, as knuckleballs or forkballs.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cast aside as junk; discard as no longer of use; scrap.

adjective

1. cheap, worthless, unwanted, or trashy.

junk ² American  

[juhngk] / dʒʌŋk /

noun

1. a seagoing ship with a traditional Chinese design and used primarily in Chinese waters, having square sails spread by battens, a high stern, and usually a flat bottom.

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junk ³ American  

[juhngk] / dʒʌŋk /

noun

Slang.

1. narcotics, especially heroin.

2. the external genitals.

   I kicked him in the junk.

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junk ¹ British  

/ dʒʌŋk /

noun

1. discarded or secondhand objects, etc, collectively

2. informal

   1. rubbish generally

   2. nonsense

      the play was absolute junk

3. slang any narcotic drug, esp heroin

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verb

1. informal (tr) to discard as junk; scrap

junk ² British  

/ dʒʌŋk /

noun

1. a sailing vessel used in Chinese waters and characterized by a very high poop, flat bottom, and square sails supported by battens

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Etymology

Origin of junk¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English jonk, junk “(in sailing) old rope or cable”; further origin uncertain

Origin of junk²

First recorded in 1545–55; from Portuguese junco, from Malay jong “large boat, ship,” possibly from dialectal Chinese (Xiamen) chûn; compare Guangdong (Cantonese) dialect syùhn, (Mandarin) Chinese chuán

Origin of junk³

First recorded in 1920–25; perhaps special use of junk ¹

Example Sentences

More than 400 of the UK's church pipe organs are being junked or falling silent due to neglect every year.

From BBC

This provides a concrete example of how a core part of the chromosome can be completely restructured over evolution by repurposing DNA that once looked like genomic "junk."

From Science Daily

Since then, fans have complained about junk fees and higher ticket prices.

From MarketWatch

There was not a place where I ended and the dogs and junk began.

From Literature

Fitch Ratings downgraded Paramount to junk status this week, citing the complexity and credit risks of the $81 billion acquisition.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• clutter
• debris
• rubbish
• rubble
• trash