junk

¹ American  

[juhngk] / dʒʌŋk /

noun

1. any old or discarded material, as metal, paper, or rags.

   Synonyms:

   refuse, debris, litter, rubbish

2. anything that is regarded as worthless, meaningless, or contemptible; trash.

   Synonyms:

   refuse, debris, litter, rubbish

3. old cable or cordage used when untwisted for making gaskets, swabs, oakum, etc.

4. Nautical Slang. salt junk.

5. Baseball Slang. relatively slow, unorthodox pitches that are deceptive to the batter in movement or pace, as knuckleballs or forkballs.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cast aside as junk; discard as no longer of use; scrap.

adjective

1. cheap, worthless, unwanted, or trashy.

junk ² American  

[juhngk] / dʒʌŋk /

noun

1. a seagoing ship with a traditional Chinese design and used primarily in Chinese waters, having square sails spread by battens, a high stern, and usually a flat bottom.

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junk ³ American  

[juhngk] / dʒʌŋk /

noun

Slang.

1. narcotics, especially heroin.

2. the external genitals.

   I kicked him in the junk.

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junk ¹ British  

/ dʒʌŋk /

noun

1. discarded or secondhand objects, etc, collectively

2. informal

   1. rubbish generally

   2. nonsense

      the play was absolute junk

3. slang any narcotic drug, esp heroin

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verb

1. informal (tr) to discard as junk; scrap

junk ² British  

/ dʒʌŋk /

noun

1. a sailing vessel used in Chinese waters and characterized by a very high poop, flat bottom, and square sails supported by battens

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Etymology

Origin of junk¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English jonk, junk “(in sailing) old rope or cable”; further origin uncertain

Origin of junk²

First recorded in 1545–55; from Portuguese junco, from Malay jong “large boat, ship,” possibly from dialectal Chinese (Xiamen) chûn; compare Guangdong (Cantonese) dialect syùhn, (Mandarin) Chinese chuán

Origin of junk³

First recorded in 1920–25; perhaps special use of junk ¹

Explanation

Junk is trash, debris, or garbage — it's something that's left behind or thrown away because it's not wanted. You might view the broken toaster as junk, while your sister sees it as an interesting repair project. After an accident, your car might be junk, and if it's hauled off to a scrapyard, you can say you had to junk it, using the verb meaning "to throw it away." One person's junk, however, is another person's valuable metal that can be sold to recycling companies. A completely different, non-trashy kind of junk is a Chinese sailing ship. These uses are connected through the nautical origin of junk, originally spelled junke and meaning "old rope or cable."

Example Sentences

That’s so important now, with AI and all the junk coming down the pipeline.”

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026

“We never want to ship junk, right? We want to ship great products that have that Apple experience, have that Apple quality,” Ternus said in an interview last week before his official appointment.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Eating soil may allow the primates to keep eating junk food by helping to line the gut to prevent irritation from too much sugar and fat, research indicates.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

In 2022, Moody’s cut St. Michael’s once-robust bond rating to junk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Once the boards are back in place, Mrs. Bessermann slides under that bed, while Siunek crawls beneath the new one I bought off a junk cart five days ago.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

Related Words

• clutter
• debris
• rubbish
• rubble
• trash