white elephant

noun

Definition of white elephantnext
as in throwaway

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for white elephant
  1. throwaway
  2. castaway
  3. second
  4. rubbish
  5. trash
  6. waste
  7. scrap
Noun
  • Jeremiah Martin had a quarterback hurry on third down, forcing a throwaway.
    — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The building happens in the routine meeting, the throwaway comment, the small disagreement, the decision about whether to credit someone whose contribution was easy to overlook.
    — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of throwaway
Noun
  • Meet the 'Survivor' 51 castaways Are there any players from Michigan on 'Survivor' 51?
    — Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 27 Aug. 2026
  • On Survivor, the strongest castaways are often eliminated early because they are perceived as threats.
    — Erik Clarke, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of castaway
Noun
  • Its 100mm pixel macro lens captures 28 images per second in order to guide the jet to the gaps in your teeth.
    — Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The two stabbings happened about 20 seconds apart, Tisch said.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of second
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
  • 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
  • Ragged, jagged or fluffy edges point to a Bristol Type 6 stool, meaning waste moved through the colon too fast for water to be absorbed properly.
    — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The state agency oversees the facility’s air and water quality permits and compliance with environmental waste laws.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of waste
Noun
  • During the Viking Age, silver bars, jewelry and scrap silver were used as a means of payment and to store value, with their weight determining their value, according the museums group.
    — Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Each piece of the silver trove—the bars, jewelry, coins, and scrap metal—could have been used for payment in Viking society.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of scrap
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.

Browse Nearby Words

white dwarfs
white elephant
white elephants
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Cite this Entry

“White elephant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/white%20elephant. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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