scrap

[ skrap ]

/ skræp /

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See synonyms for: scrap / scrapped / scrapping / scraps on Thesaurus.com

noun

a small piece or portion; fragment: a scrap of paper.

scraps,

bits or pieces of food, especially of leftover or discarded food.
the remains of animal fat after the oil has been tried out.

a detached piece of something written or printed: scraps of poetry.

an old, discarded, or rejected item or substance for use in reprocessing or as raw material, as old metal that can be melted and reworked.

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.

adjective

consisting of scraps or fragments.

existing in the form of fragments or remnants of use only for reworking, as metal.

discarded or left over.

verb (used with object), scrapped, scrap·ping.

to make into scraps or scrap; break up: to scrap old cars.

to discard as useless, worthless, or ineffective: He urged that we scrap the old method of teaching mathematics.

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Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between "it’s" and "its" in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 8

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

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Origin of scrap

1350–1400; Middle English scrappe (noun) <Old Norse skrap, derivative of skrapa to scrape

OTHER WORDS FROM scrap

scrap·ping·ly, adverb

Other definitions for scrap (2 of 2)

scrap²

[ skrap ]

/ skræp /

Informal.

noun

a fight or quarrel: She got into a scrap with her in-laws.

verb (used without object), scrapped, scrap·ping.

to engage in a fight or quarrel.

Origin of scrap

First recorded in 1670–80; variant of scrape

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use scrap in a sentence

Another major project, the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline, was scrapped in July after numerous delays and questions about whether it was needed.
West Virginians Were Promised an Economic Revival. It Hasn’t Happened Yet.|by Ken Ward Jr.|October 29, 2020|ProPublica
Critics of online learning who worry remote instruction is already shortchanging students see even more of an incentive to scrap snow days.
New Jersey school district pledges to protect at least one ritual from pandemic upheaval: The snow day|Kim Bellware|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
As James Temple outlines, California needs to scrap century-old fire management policies to fight its wildfires.
To think your way out of a crisis, look beyond it|Katie McLean|October 21, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The physician argued that scrapping the law during the coronavirus pandemic would be disastrous.
Barrett confirmation hearing day four: ‘We have the votes,’ McConnell says of nomination|Seung Min Kim, Donna Cassata, Karoun Demirjian|October 15, 2020|Washington Post

The replacement material that was supposed to stick to the third target was made incorrectly and had to be scrapped, records show.
Inside the Fall of the CDC|by James Bandler, Patricia Callahan, Sebastian Rotella and Kirsten Berg|October 15, 2020|ProPublica

British Dictionary definitions for scrap (1 of 2)

scrap¹

/ (skræp) /

noun

a small piece of something larger; fragment

an extract from something written

waste material or used articles, esp metal, often collected and reprocessed
(as modifier)scrap iron

(plural) pieces of discarded food

verb scraps, scrapping or scrapped (tr)

to make into scrap

to discard as useless

Word Origin for scrap

C14: from Old Norse skrap; see scrape

British Dictionary definitions for scrap (2 of 2)

scrap²

/ (skræp) informal /

noun

a fight or argument

verb scraps, scrapping or scrapped

(intr) to quarrel or fight

Word Origin for scrap

C17: perhaps from scrape

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

scrap

Origin of scrap

OTHER WORDS FROM scrap

Other definitions for scrap (2 of 2)

Origin of scrap

Words related to scrap

How to use scrap in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scrap (1 of 2)

Word Origin for scrap

British Dictionary definitions for scrap (2 of 2)

Word Origin for scrap