offal

noun

ˈȯ-fəl How to pronounce offal (audio)
Definition of offalnext
as in garbage
discarded or useless material a pile of offal from the tannery operating in the neighborhood

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of offal This carnivore’s sanctum offers an education in offal, mapping the pig from trompa (snout) to rabo (tail). — Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026 This isn’t about fetishizing offal. — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026 The German served up wiener schnitzel the following year, while in 1988 Scotland’s Sandy Lyle laid on some haggis – sheep’s offal minced, spiced and served in its stomach, and plated up to the sound of bagpipes. — Don Riddell, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026 Kennedy recently encouraged people to embrace offal as a more affordable source of protein. — Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for offal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offal
  1. garbage
  2. debris
  3. trash
  4. rubbish
  5. sewage
  6. junk
  7. dust
Noun
  • The government still has not come up with a solution to the mountainous piles of rotting garbage that accumulate on the streets for months.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
  • One of the nurses tried to cover up the error by fishing the empty bottle of the muscle relaxant out of the garbage and taking it home.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of garbage
Noun
  • Hot rubber, tire debris, or other parts can also land on dry vegetation and ignite it.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The infamous explosion covered Pompeii and Herculaneum in volcanic debris, immortalizing the final moments of the ancient Roman cities and some of their unfortunate inhabitants in stunning detail.
    — Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of debris
Noun
  • To paraphrase Tolstoy, all slop is alike, but every piece of trash is trashy in its own oddball way.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Four months later, he was seen last weekend walking dogs, taking walks, enjoying a cup of coffee in a garage, and even stopping to sift through neighborhood trash items on the side of the street.
    — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of trash
Noun
  • This comes at the expense of no movement in the wrist, but to be fair, having the lightsaber pointed in any other direction would look rubbish.
    — Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Only construction waste will be accepted at the landfill such as, brush and rubbish, concrete, brick, rock, wood, paper, plastics, cardboard and roofing shingles and tiles.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026
Definition of rubbish
Noun
  • Wastewater tracking is the testing of community sewage for viruses and other germs to help health officials monitor disease spread and trends, often before cases show up in clinical testing data.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The city later vowed to make emergency repairs to restore power and clean up buildings flooded with sewage.
    — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of sewage
Noun
  • The Workshop will have a space to customize your own junk journal.
    — Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Utilities Another common sight in the kitchen is a junk or utility drawer (or two).
    — Sheila Kim, The Spruce, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of junk
Noun
  • Once the novelty wore off, many ended up in storerooms gathering dust.
    — Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • This is because the material that serves as the building blocks for planets is constantly escaping the swirling platters of gas and dust, or protoplanetary disks, that wrap around infant stars.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of dust

Browse Nearby Words

off
offal
off and on
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Offal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offal. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on offal

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about offal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All