discarded

American

[dih-skahr-did] / dɪˈskɑr dɪd /

adjective

having been disposed of, cast out, or put aside.

The fire is believed to have been started by a discarded match or cigarette.
The sprocket wheel and chain were scavenged from a discarded bicycle.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of discard.

Other Word Forms

undiscarded adjective

Etymology

Origin of discarded

discard ( def. ) + -ed ²

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.

Heuermann, a 62-year-old married father of two, was arrested in July 2023 in Manhattan after authorities obtained his DNA from a discarded piece of pizza outside his mid-town office.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Restaurants discarded over 50 pounds of beluga caviar likely worth tens of thousands of dollars, one said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

“Intruders have set fires, burning holes in the floors and scorching wood wainscoting and pews. Empty beef jerky bags, discarded underwear and clumps of plaster litter the worn burgundy carpeting.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

A member of the public was killed after handling the delivery device, a discarded perfume bottle, triggering the largest Western expulsion in decades of Russian diplomats alleged to be spies.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

After we raised the obelisk above the quarry surface, pieces of discarded granite were placed underneath it to hold it off the ground.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023