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
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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:
It was a strange sight in Los Angeles, seeing stadium workers asking attendees to discard flags in an effort to censor the expression of people here.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
To remove that bias, the Dallas Fed designed its index to discard the 31% biggest increases in a given month, but only the 24% biggest decreases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
Researchers estimate that more than a trillion microplastic fibers may be released worldwide every month as people use and discard these everyday cleaning tools.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 18, 2026
In torrential rain, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy regularly dried his gloves, but the ball boys repeatedly tried to discard his towel.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
She picked up a card from the discard pile.
From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake
They agree to meet again, but Kip completely discards his Western life.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
The show’s path to hit status is an unusual story for Hollywood, which often discards shows that aren’t immediately successful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 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
David: Steve Benen for MS NOW: Trump’s ‘God Squad’ discards the administration’s supposed interest in whale protections; Ella Nilsen for CNN: Only 50 of these whales are left in existence.
From Slate ● Apr. 2, 2026
The helm came off, and went to join the rest of the discards.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
While the business of cosmetically modified, futuristic-looking pets remains in its infancy, animal rights groups worry that eventually the creatures will be created, sold and later discarded in crowded municipal shelters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
It is a naturally derived material and is often discarded as waste by the farming industry, giving it potential as both a renewable and scalable resource.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
Others think Rashford is too good to be discarded; a local lad who would benefit from an arm around the shoulder and is capable of making a significant impact in Carrick's team.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Notably, Karp adds, the results were achieved “with a miniscule and shrinking sales headcount, another way in which we have discarded conventional wisdom in favor of our own, unique path.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Then it bent over the discarded flesh and fussed over it, doing things with its hands that I couldn’t see.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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
All have moved on since then, while another chunky collection of caps has been lost through the discarding of Jack Leach, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
Donating it doesn’t feel right, she said, and neither does discarding it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Auntie An-mei is rubbing her tile carefully before discarding it.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
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.
