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:
A new manufacturing line could scrap over half its production for a long period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
It’s because the public didn’t turn a blind eye to Warner Bros. decision to scrap “Coyote vs. Acme” that the film made its way into the right hands.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
Jenrick also pledged to scrap UK privacy rules in favour of a "light-touch" approach to data protection as part of a bid to slash "red tape" for businesses.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Discovery announced its decision to scrap “Coyote vs. Acme,” opting instead to take a $30-million tax write-off on the hybrid live-action-animation film, actor Will Forte received enthusiastic news about the project.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
From his medicine pouch he took his last scrap of birch bast, and roughly bandaged the wound.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Even a stray grain or hairline defect means the part has to be scrapped, he added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Internal candidates for 3.5 Pro were scrapped because they weren’t sufficiently better than the Flash series, the people said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Tiffany now wants the state's tax incentives scrapped and the industry more tightly regulated, though he stops short of a ban.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
Singer-songwriter Beth McCarthy tells Newsbeat she is "fuming" at the BBC Introducing stage being scrapped as she feels it is "such a foundation point of all festivals".
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 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
The studio also announced that they were scrapping the finished film for a $30 million tax write-off.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
After scrapping to 19 from 39 balls, Lawrence changed approach.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
The tsunami of parcels generated by low-cost e-commerce giants has also been dealt a fresh blow by the scrapping of US tax exemptions for individual shipments valued less than $800.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
But local politicians and parties to the settlement say scrapping the Biden-era pact would require years of federal review and public engagement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
He was just scrapping, like any other kid would.
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
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.
