disposable
Americanadjective
-
designed for or capable of being thrown away after being used or used up.
disposable plastic spoons; a disposable cigarette lighter.
-
free for use; available.
Every disposable vehicle was sent.
noun
-
disposables
plural
adjective
-
designed for disposal after use
disposable cups
-
available for use if needed
disposable assets
noun
-
something, such as a baby's nappy, that is designed for disposal
-
(plural) short for disposable goods
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of disposable
Explanation
Something disposable is not meant to last. It's OK to throw it out after you use it. Disposable diapers are a good example of what the word disposable is all about: after the diaper is used, it goes straight into the trash, and you can't use it again. Something disposable is replaceable. If a boss decides an employee is disposable, that means the employee will probably be fired. As you can imagine, people don't like to feel disposable. Lots of people don't like products that are disposable either. Disposing of things just creates more garbage, which is bad for the environment. Usually, things that are recyclable are better.
Vocabulary lists containing disposable
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Mockingjay
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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:
The extent of this growth means consumption has grown despite a reduction in real disposable income over the last year or so — which would have previously implied a recession.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
An emergency alert issued on Friday evening urged people not to start fires, including disposable barbecues, firepits, garden incinerators or fireworks.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Describing Britain as "a tinderbox" with 37 blazes nationwide on Friday, the prime minister warned against lighting fires outdoors, as the government introduced a ban on selling disposable barbecue equipment.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
A reliable indicator of economic health is real disposable income, which tracks how much extra money people actually have after essentials are paid for.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
“We are going to be handling large amounts of blood. And we will be handling sharp instruments. We are going to use the disposable biocontainment suits.”
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
His philosophy is to use features like color, weight, and shape to communicate containers’ reusability, making it less plausible that people will confuse them for disposables.
From Salon ● May 2, 2024
Greenpeace campaigner Leanne Tam hopes that the new law will discourage the throwaway culture and promote reusables, instead of “greener” disposables.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
But the UK Vaping Industry Association says disposables help smokers quit, and can be recycled.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2023
It favours higher taxes on disposables and stronger controls on import and sales, deputy chief executive Hazel Cheeseman said.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2023
Today's cameras-from the disposables to the fully automated-encapsulate everything we have to know to operate them.
From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Mihai Nadin
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.
