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Definition of "dross" [dross]

  • Waste or impure matter: discarded the dross after recycling the wood pulp. (noun)
  • The scum that forms on the surface of molten metal as a result of oxidation. (noun)
  • Worthless, commonplace, or trivial matter: "He was wide-awake and his mind worked clearly, purged of all dross” ( Vladimir Nabokov). (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "dross" in a sentence
  • "A good question at the moment might be whether 20% could be saved by cutting the deadwood dross from the top and de-ranking."
  • "The challenge then is to separate the dross from the gold and refine what remains."
  • "This dross is typical of the MS-centric drivel found on Sympatico-MSN."