as in garbage
discarded or useless material
get rid of the dross before closing up the shop
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Recent Examples of dross
And while Amazing Stories obviously published some dreck—every magazine does—there are plenty of dilithium crystals hidden in the dross.
—
Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
The downside of all of these riches is the dross accompanying the gold.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
What tabloid dross tends to obscure is his impressive career—first as a star dancer at the New York City Ballet, then as a roving choreographer of complex, dynamic work that is rooted in balletic conventions but not restricted by them.
—Sara Krolewski, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026
These meteors are the dross shed by the comet 169P/NEAT, whose path Earth crosses at this time each year.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 July 2025
Amongst all the dross and angst, Neil and Teddy try to talk everyone into investing in a baseball-card trading venture that might generate $500 in profits after a year.
—Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
But among the dross there gleam a few brilliant exceptions—deceptive, slippery books that defy the constraints of region and genre.
—Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
The chipmaker is still raising cash and cutting costs though, as there seems to be quite a bit of dross.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
Many experience mental health challenges on top of the physical toll of making something out of the unending dross Kantamanto is pummeled with.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
The downside of all of these riches is the dross accompanying the gold.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
What tabloid dross tends to obscure is his impressive career—first as a star dancer at the New York City Ballet, then as a roving choreographer of complex, dynamic work that is rooted in balletic conventions but not restricted by them.
—Sara Krolewski, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026
These meteors are the dross shed by the comet 169P/NEAT, whose path Earth crosses at this time each year.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 July 2025
Amongst all the dross and angst, Neil and Teddy try to talk everyone into investing in a baseball-card trading venture that might generate $500 in profits after a year.
—Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
But among the dross there gleam a few brilliant exceptions—deceptive, slippery books that defy the constraints of region and genre.
—Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
The chipmaker is still raising cash and cutting costs though, as there seems to be quite a bit of dross.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
Many experience mental health challenges on top of the physical toll of making something out of the unending dross Kantamanto is pummeled with.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dross
Noun
-
Lehkonen is a crease-crasher, a garbage collector and a pest, a greasy goal waiting to happen.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Wash them regularly to remove sugary or syrupy residues from garbage such as soda or fruit juices, which attract foraging bees.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Use a drain catcher to stop hair and debris from accumulating.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Downed trees and debris at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, in July.—
Suzanne Gamboa,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
From the Japanese point of view, leaving rubbish piled up in a stadium would be a bother to others.—
Stephen Wade,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Local villages are actively monitoring the oceans and reefs in their environment, and backlash to a recent plan from a billionaire Australian to build a giant plant to incinerate rubbish in Fiji was loud and well organized, says Singh.—
MIchelle Duff,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Colorado emergency responders closed the westbound lanes of Interstate 76 on Friday morning after a fatal crash the Colorado State Patrol said involved a trash truck and a pedestrian.—
Jesse Sarles,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Another 10 gathered on plastic trash and one was on an unused steam table.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Having junk hauled away costs money.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
26 Apr. 2026
-
For me, Storage Wars was an addiction and Darrell was the loveable loser who was always looking for that $40 bill in a pile of junk.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The dust will take about three weeks to settle.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Scientists identified plant traces by sequencing microscopic DNA fragments found in dust and fibers collected from the Shroud, rather than discovering visible food remains.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Her body was only retrieved from the rubble hours later, rescue workers said.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The kids who were rescued from the rubble at Briarwood now are in their late teens and early 20s.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dross.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dross. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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