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
-
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:
These search engines and chatbots could help you place a price on items you are trying to discard.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
"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
"Consumers who have any recalled product should discard it immediately and not consume it. Refunds are available at the location of purchase," it added.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 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
Must I discard my plot-ideas and seek new ones?
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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
Everything I had written was squeezed between Dostoyevsky's great lines, as if my words were his discards.
From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos
Vast amounts of discarded plastic accumulate in the oceans, sometimes forming enormous garbage patches that threaten marine life.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Because multi-dose vials must be discarded 30 minutes after opening, each vial yields only about 1.2 to 1.6 usable doses in practice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
True, any potential defensive deficiencies were not probed, but Alexander-Arnold showed enough class and creation to surely avoid being discarded again by Tuchel.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
In each workshop, Ingold encourages students to use discarded textile material to make art.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
The chair near the door now had a stack of discarded clothing wobbling precariously as the men talked in the hushed voices of conspirators.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
By discarding artistic hierarchy of any kind, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is stepping into an ongoing debate about what kind of work gets to be labeled “art.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
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
Billy Smith—his hair loose, wearing a dress, and barefoot after discarding his low-heel pumps—danced the woman invoked in the song.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
He was continually buying books, usually two or three a day, keeping most, discarding a few, and giving others to friends.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
