discard
discard Lexical Profile
discard Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To get rid of or throw away something as no longer useful, desirable, or needed.
"Please discard any expired medications safely rather than flushing them down the drain."
To remove or play an unwanted card from one's hand in a card game.
"At the end of each turn, players must draw one card and discard another face up on the table."
• noun
A person or thing that has been thrown away or rejected as no longer useful or desirable.
"The charity shop sorted through the wearable clothing and separated out the damaged discards."
In card games, the act of throwing out an unwanted playing card from one's hand, or the card itself that is thrown out.
"She drew the top card from the pile of discards to complete her winning hand."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Discard" is a heteronym whose pronunciation shifts by part of speech: as a verb, the stress falls on the second syllable (dis-KARD), whereas as a noun, the stress usually falls on the first syllable (DIS-kard).
• Rhymes for discard
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the late 16th century as a card-playing term meaning to throw away unwanted cards from one's hand, formed from "dis-" (away) and "card" (influenced by Old French "escarder").