Words / B2

di-SKAHD/dɪˈskɑːd/

To discard is to throw something away because you no longer want it: discard the draft; discarded packaging. Throw away is everyday; reject is closer for ideas. Keep and retain are opposites. Markers: discard a draft that ignores the command word. Do not mix with discard as a playing-card term unless the context is games.

Meaning

To throw something away because it is no longer wanted.

Examples

• “Discard the first draft if it ignores the command word.”
• “The lab discarded contaminated swabs, which is the physical sense.”

Good to know

discard + noun; discarded + noun. Everyday: throw away. Ideas: reject. Opposite: keep / retain. Labs, recycling, drafting. Not a synonym of discuss.

Near in meaning

reject

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