scrap
1 Americannoun
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a small piece or portion; fragment: scraps of cloth.
a scrap of paper;
scraps of cloth.
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scraps,
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bits or pieces of food, especially of leftover or discarded food.
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the remains of animal fat after the oil has been rendered; cracklings.
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a detached piece of something written or printed.
scraps of poetry.
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broken, discarded, or rejected items or parts for use as raw material or in reprocessing, as old metal that can be melted and reworked.
The two of them drive around collecting scrap to sell.
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chips, cuttings, fragments, or other small pieces of raw material removed, cut away, flaked off, etc., in the process of making or manufacturing an item.
Their cutting process is faster, but have you seen the amount of scrap it generates?
adjective
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consisting of pieces or fragments.
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existing in the form of fragments or remnants of use only for reworking, as metal.
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discarded or left over.
She was fashioning a toy out of some scrap wood.
verb (used with object)
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to break up into pieces for discarding or reworking.
to scrap old cars.
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to discard as useless, worthless, or ineffective.
He urged that we scrap the old method of teaching mathematics.
noun
verb (used without object)
noun
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a small piece of something larger; fragment
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an extract from something written
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waste material or used articles, esp metal, often collected and reprocessed
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( as modifier )
scrap iron
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(plural) pieces of discarded food
verb
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to make into scrap
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to discard as useless
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of scrap1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun scrappe “scrap of food,” from Old Norse skrap, derivative of skrapa “to scrape ”
Origin of scrap2
First recorded in 1670–80; variant of scrape
Explanation
A scrap is a little leftover bit of something. You might jot down notes on a scrap of paper, or you might toss a scrap of food to your happy dog. A scrap is typically a small item that originally was part of something larger, like a scrap of fabric that was once part of a larger piece. Scrap can also describe something that’s no longer useful. For example, you might take scrap metal to the recycling center. A final meaning of the noun scrap is "fight," as in "I got into a scrap with my brother." Scrap also has a verb form that means "discard." When you scrap your plan to move to the Bahamas, that means you’re abandoning the plan.
Vocabulary lists containing scrap
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:
Australia's landmark social media ban faces a legal test on Tuesday, as online platform Reddit urges the nation's highest court to scrap the world-leading restrictions.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
An on-floor engineer remarked that they sell their scrap metal, and the price has skyrocketed—something they take as a sure indication that the economy is going down the tubes.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026
The government said it was "consulting as soon as possible next year on private parking debt recovery fees, including on whether to cut an existing £70 cap or scrap the fees altogether".
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
In 2024, five years after it went on air, the BBC announced plans to scrap The Nine alongside entertainment news show The Edit and weekly news review Seven Days.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
On the floor of the locker the only mess is mine: a broken bootlace, a hatpin, and a scrap of paper with handwritten text, which I bend to pick up.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Gas standing charges in England, Scotland and Wales are also to be scrapped during 2027 "or as soon as possible after".
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
If that second 28-day round and an additional shorter round following it fail, the effort is scrapped and new elections are called.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The fee for connecting to your gas supply so called standing charges will be scrapped in England, Scotland and Wales, next year "or as soon as possible after", the chancellor said.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
South Korean giant SK Hynix, which makes memory chips needed for AI, scrapped plans for its U.S. public listing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
A boy who scrapped with his foster brother one minute and laughed with him the next.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
The analysts expect charges related to scrapping work-in-process materials and workforce restructuring to weigh on the South Korean industrial-film maker’s near-term earnings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Others have debated whether the Treasury might consider scrapping 20-year auctions altogether, a move that seems unlikely.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
Former Labour First Minister Mark Drakeford has said it is time to consider scrapping the UK government's Wales Office.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Tinubu, who is seeking a second term, pushed through sweeping economic reforms when he came into office in 2023, including scrapping a major fuel subsidy and floating the naira.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
He would have to fall back on scrapping.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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