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
  • End-of-life rare-earth permanent magnets, manufacturing swarf, and other scrap containing critical minerals were deemed recoverable resources essential to national security.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Another scrap of Shakespeare appeared, longer this time, echoing down the corridor of memory.
    — Helen Simpson, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 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.

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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 2 Sep. 2026.

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