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Synonyms

junkyard

American  
[juhngk-yahrd] / ˈdʒʌŋkˌyɑrd /

noun

  1. a yard for the collection, storage, and resale of junk.

junkyard British  
/ ˈdʒʌŋkˌjɑːd /

noun

  1. a place where junk is stored or collected for sale

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of junkyard

An Americanism first recorded in 1875–80; junk 1 + yard 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.

A farmer who owned a Model T didn’t need a forge or metal lathe to fix his engine; he could simply order a replacement part—or cannibalize one from a wrecked car in a junkyard.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

A huge fire at the Grand Prairie junkyard in Texas has sent a thick plume of smoke into the air.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2024

While she visits the occasional thrift shop or junkyard, most materials are donated by people who know she’s always seeking something to salvage.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 6, 2024

It’s a playful 2023 piece by Tyree Guyton, the artist behind the Heidelberg Project in Detroit, a junkyard fantasia of weathered toys, scrap metal and household discards assembled in a string of once-vacant lots.

From New York Times • Jan. 24, 2024

I paid no particular attention to them until they had surrounded the junkyard.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

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.