dreck
Americannoun
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anything regarded as worthless or of low quality; junk.
It would be an insult to the actors and the writers to nominate this fine film along with the dreck they are glorifying this year.
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He is cleaning off the years of rust, dreck, and corrosion before continuing his restoration of the various parts.
noun
Other Word Forms
- drecky adjective
Etymology
Origin of dreck
First recorded in 1920–25; from Yiddish drek; cognate with German Dreck “filth”; compare Old English threax, Old Norse threkkr “excrement”
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.
Rather than on Bluesky, Lee posted his dreck on X.
From Slate • Sep. 11, 2025
That tension between the public and the personal, between the dreck and the art, is the spine of the film.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2024
“Talk to Me” seemingly takes place entirely at night, adding to the atmosphere, but it never devolves into dull gray dreck.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 27, 2023
The Rams’ offense consists of short passes to Cooper Kupp and dreck.
From Washington Post • Oct. 10, 2022
It felt odd to be wearing shoes in June, but I was glad to have them since the streets were sharp with bits of glass and metal, filthy with dust and dreck.
From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk
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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.