Meaning & use
discard
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To throw away or stop using something because you no longer want or need it.
Grammar: Takes an object: discard the wrapper.
Patterns
- discard something
- discard something as something
Please discard the packaging before you recycle the box.
The committee discarded the old plan and started again.
He discarded his wet socks beside the tent.
verbtransitive or intransitive
In a card game, to put a card from your hand face up on the pile because you do not want it.
Grammar: Can take an object (discard a seven) or stand alone (it is your turn to discard).
Patterns
- discard a card
- discard from your hand
She discarded a low heart and drew a new card.
You must discard before the next player can go.
nouncountable
Something that has been thrown away, or a card put onto the discard pile.
Grammar: Stress shifts to the first syllable in the noun: a DIScard.
Patterns
- a discard from something
The discards were piled in a bin at the back of the workshop.
He picked up the top discard and smiled.
Word forms
| third person singular | discards |
|---|---|
| past tense | discarded |
| past participle | discarded |
| -ing form | discarding |
Common combinations
- discard an idea
- The team discarded the idea after the first test.
- carelessly discarded
- A carelessly discarded cigarette started the fire.
- discard evidence
- It is illegal to discard evidence during an investigation.
- discard a card
- Discard a card and draw a fresh one.
- discard the packaging
- We discarded the packaging as soon as we got home.
Synonyms and how they differ
- throw away
- Throw away is the casual everyday phrase, whereas discard sounds more formal or deliberate.
- dispose of
- Dispose of suggests getting rid of something properly, often large or hazardous items, which discard does not require.
- scrap
- Scrap usually applies to plans or projects that are abandoned, rather than to physical waste.
- reject
- Reject means to refuse something offered or judged unsuitable, not just to throw away what you already own.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: discard or discord?
discard vs discord
Discord means disagreement or clashing sounds and is unrelated to throwing things away.
Practice
After the game, she carefully ___ the broken pieces of the vase.
Choose one answer.
Discarded means threw away, which fits broken pieces. Retained and preserved mean the opposite, and collected as new is not grammatical here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “discard”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.