disposable
Americanadjective
-
designed for or capable of being thrown away after being used or used up.
disposable plastic spoons; a disposable cigarette lighter.
-
free for use; available.
Every disposable vehicle was sent.
noun
-
disposables
plural
adjective
-
designed for disposal after use
disposable cups
-
available for use if needed
disposable assets
noun
-
something, such as a baby's nappy, that is designed for disposal
-
(plural) short for disposable goods
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of disposable
Explanation
Something disposable is not meant to last. It's OK to throw it out after you use it. Disposable diapers are a good example of what the word disposable is all about: after the diaper is used, it goes straight into the trash, and you can't use it again. Something disposable is replaceable. If a boss decides an employee is disposable, that means the employee will probably be fired. As you can imagine, people don't like to feel disposable. Lots of people don't like products that are disposable either. Disposing of things just creates more garbage, which is bad for the environment. Usually, things that are recyclable are better.
Vocabulary lists containing disposable
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History is made in PA: Clinton's DNC Acceptance Speech
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Mockingjay
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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:
But as in a two-for-one, if you can be sold on the myth that AI is superhuman, it travels along with the idea that regular humans are disposable.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
So consumers might have a pretty good view of the economy—if it weren’t for the stubborn inflation squeezing their disposable incomes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Relative poverty means a household has disposable income after housing costs below 60% of the UK median, adjusted for family size and composition.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
His sudden rise had made him "an easily disposable product," he added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
I was still wearing my disposable plastic indent slippers.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
His philosophy is to use features like color, weight, and shape to communicate containers’ reusability, making it less plausible that people will confuse them for disposables.
From Salon ● May 2, 2024
But if we ban disposables, we also need to get the dodgy ones off the street, otherwise people might just turn to those instead.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2024
Eventually, the endpoint is this outcome, which is more sustainable and good PR, too: No more disposables at Starbucks.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2023
But the UK Vaping Industry Association says disposables help smokers quit, and can be recycled.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2023
Today's cameras-from the disposables to the fully automated-encapsulate everything we have to know to operate them.
From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Mihai Nadin
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
