What does "scrap" mean?
A (small) piece; a fragment; a detached, incomplete portion.
Scrap
/skɹæp/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A (small) piece; a fragment; a detached, incomplete portion.
- Grammar: scrap is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: bit, chip, abandon, abandon.
- Useful contrasts: abundance, campaign event, destroy.
- Usage evidence: Put the plan on the scrap heap.
How to use "scrap"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "scrap" 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 "scrap" 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 "scrap" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "scrap" 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 "scrap" is acting as noun, verb 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 "bit" 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 "scrap", 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 A (small) piece; a fragment; a detached, incomplete portion. countable, uncountable
"I found a scrap of cloth to patch the hole."
- 2 A fight, tussle, skirmish.
"We got in a little scrap over who should pay the bill."
- 3 the act of fighting; any contest or struggle wordnet
- 4 A (small) piece; a fragment; a detached, incomplete portion.; The smallest amount. countable, uncountable
"I don't care a scrap."
- 5 a small piece of something that is left over after the rest has been used wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 Leftover food. countable, plural-normally, uncountable
"Give the scraps to the animals: any meat to the dogs, and the rest to the hogs."
- 7 a small fragment of something broken off from the whole wordnet
- 8 The crisp substance that remains after drying out animal fat. countable, uncountable
"pork scraps"
- 9 worthless material that is to be disposed of wordnet
- 10 Discarded objects (especially metal) that may be dismantled to recover their constituent materials, junk. uncountable
"That car isn't good for anything but scrap."
- 11 A piece of deep-fried batter left over from frying fish, sometimes sold with chips. UK, countable, in-plural, uncountable
- 12 Loose-leaf tobacco of a low grade, such as sweepings left over from handling higher grades. uncountable
- 13 A Hispanic criminal, especially a Mexican or one affiliated with the Sureno gang. countable, ethnic, offensive, slur, uncountable
- 14 A snare for catching birds. countable, obsolete, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To discard; to get rid of. transitive
"The party plans to scrap the military-drafted constitution, and bring the army's many business interests under the Ministry of Finance."
- 2 to fight
"Oh yeah! Keep it spicy! You know I love a good tussle, Gonzales! Keep on scrappin', son! 'Course, it ain't gonna do you much good in the end."
- 3 make into scrap or refuse wordnet
- 4 To stop working on indefinitely. transitive
- 5 have a disagreement over something wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To scrapbook; to create scrapbooks. intransitive
- 7 dispose of (something useless or old) wordnet
- 8 To dispose of at a scrapyard. transitive
"Northern made much of the scrapping of the first of the Pacers (142005), and to date 35 of its Class 142s have been scrapped, with a further 11 off-lease at Gascoigne Wood."
- 9 To make into scrap. transitive
"Standing on the mountain above Caerphilly, one may reflect upon the gap where once stood Llanbradach Viaduct, and look near at hand upon the restored ruins of Caerphilly Castle; man labours to rebuild the mediaeval whilst he ruthlessly scraps the modern."
Example
"Put the plan on the scrap heap."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "scrap"?
Common synonyms include: bit, chip, abandon, abandon, abdicate, abort.
How do you use "scrap" in a sentence?
Put the plan on the scrap heap.
How do you pronounce "scrap"?
Pronounced /skɹæp/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English scrappe, from Old Norse skrap, from skrapa (“to scrape, scratch”), from Proto-Germanic *skrapōną, *skrepaną (“to scrape, scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *skreb-, *skrep- (“to engrave”). Cf. Swedish skräp (“garbage”).
Etymology 2
Perhaps from the obsolete colloquial meaning "sinister plot, scheme, villainy", or a dialectal variant of scrape.