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
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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
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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:
"To understand one day that you think you're important to somebody, and then all of a sudden you're not. They discard you like a piece of garbage."
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
I never want to discard them again because other people won’t find them useful.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 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
He said they must arrive at their verdict based "solely on the evidence you have seen and heard in this court" and to discard any rumours or speculation they may have heard outside the court.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 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
Back in the diamond belt of Sierra Leone, Daniel discards another sieve-load of gravel.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 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
Making matters worse, Robert soon falls for Lady Brett and later leans on Jake for emotional support when she ultimately discards him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
As the day wore on, the pile of discards grew.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
Yuvraj Yadav, who sells sandwiches in a Mumbai suburb, says he used to wrap them in discarded newspapers, despite concerns that chemicals in the printing ink can leach into food.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Joe Swanberg’s “The Sun Never Sets” is a reminder that discarded partners also have movie-worthy drama — too much of it for the couple, perhaps, but plenty for our amusement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Converting discarded PVC into a useful lubricant component could therefore reduce plastic waste while creating a valuable new product.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
A source told The Times that they were looking at the possibility that discarded ashes from the vineyard sparked the major fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
Farther out, a few gnawed-over carcasses were discarded to be scoured clean by lower-ranking scavengers.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
Evie Roberts, a silversmith who teaches jewellery-making at the centre, said people needed to be educated about the dangers of discarding bottles or cigarettes, which can cause fires.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 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
Donating it doesn’t feel right, she said, and neither does discarding it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Schrader said it typically takes him four to six months to fully develop a screenplay idea, a process of testing, discarding and gradually refining concepts until they either strengthen or collapse under scrutiny.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
The granola bar I took one bite of before discarding.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
