What does "junk" mean?
Miscellaneous items of little value, especially discarded or unwanted items.
Junk
/d͡ʒɐŋk/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Miscellaneous items of little value, especially discarded or unwanted items.
- Grammar: junk is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: 86, abandon, addictive drug, alcohol.
- Useful contrasts: genuine gold, nutritional label, admit.
- Usage evidence: People ask me 'why would you want to cherish a piece of junk like that?' But this little beauty means the world to me.
How to use "junk"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "junk" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "junk" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "junk" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "junk" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "junk" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "86" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "junk", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Miscellaneous items of little value, especially discarded or unwanted items. uncountable, usually
"This shed is full of junk – will you help me sort it out?"
- 2 A Chinese sailing vessel.
- 3 any of various Chinese boats with a high poop and lugsails wordnet
- 4 Material or resources of poor quality or low value, especially resources that lack commercial value. attributive, uncountable, usually
"junk food"
- 5 the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 Nonsense; gibberish. uncountable, usually
"The student put down junk for answers just to finish his homework more quickly."
- 7 Any narcotic drug, especially heroin. slang, uncountable, usually
"The poor fellow took so much junk into his system he could only weather the greater proportion of his day in that chair with the lamp burning at noon, but in the morning he was magnificent."
- 8 The genitalia, especially of a male. slang, uncountable, usually
"I'm talking about everybody getting crunk, crunk / Boys tryin' to touch my junk, junk / Gonna smack him if he getting too drunk, drunk"
- 9 Salt beef. uncountable, usually
"My physician has ordered me three pounds of minced salt-junk at every meal ."
- 10 Pieces of old cable or cordage, used for making gaskets, mats, swabs, etc., and when picked to pieces, forming oakum for filling the seams of ships. uncountable, usually
- 11 A fragment of any solid substance; a thick piece; a chunk. countable, dated, usually
"Dear Uncle Sam pervides fer his, An' gives a good-sized junk to all"
Verb
- 1 To throw away. informal, transitive
- 2 dispose of (something useless or old) wordnet
- 3 To find something for very little money (meaning derived from the term junkshop) informal, transitive
"(On Facebook, a record collector wrote:) "The newest addition to my Annette Hanshaw collection, I junked this beautiful flawless E-copy within walking distance from my house.""
- 4 To consume junk food, mainly at a fast-food restaurant. informal, intransitive, transitive
"Let's just junk some burgers at McDonald's."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"People ask me 'why would you want to cherish a piece of junk like that?' But this little beauty means the world to me."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "junk"?
Common synonyms include: 86, abandon, addictive drug, alcohol, amobarbital sodium, amytal.
How do you use "junk" in a sentence?
People ask me 'why would you want to cherish a piece of junk like that?' But this little beauty means the world to me.
How do you pronounce "junk"?
Pronounced /d͡ʒɐŋk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From earlier meaning "old refuse from boats and ships", from Middle English junk, jounke, jonk, joynk (“an old cable or rope”, nautical term), sometimes cut into bits and used as caulking; of uncertain origin; perhaps related to join, joint, juncture. Often compared to Middle English junk, jonk, jonke, junck (“a rush; basket made of rushes”), from Old French jonc, from Latin iuncus (“rush, reed”); however, the Oxford English Dictionary finds "no evidence of connexion".
Etymology 2
From Portuguese junco with reinforcement from Dutch jonk, from Arabic جُنْك (junk), from Malay jong, جوڠ, from Javanese ꦗꦺꦴꦁ (jong), from Old Javanese joṅ (“seagoing ship”), probably from Proto-Mon-Khmer *d₂luuŋ ~ *d₂luŋ ~ *d₂luəŋ ~ *d₂ləŋ (“boat”). Doublet of djong.
Etymology 3
South German surname, spelling variant of Jung.