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junk

junk

36 8.8
A flat-bottomed Chinese sailing boat with a tall back and large sails
  • noun
  • /dʒʌŋk/
translation icon : junco
  • I built a Chinese junk.
  • Chinese junk

Examples

  • Under normal circumstances, Chinese junks were no match for a European warship.

  • Someone had anchored a Chinese junk inside the breakwater.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • One of the junks drifted toward me, and its ferryman extended an oar.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The fisherman skillfully navigated his junk through the busy harbor.

  • We learned about the history of the junk in our maritime class.

  • During our trip, we saw a beautiful junk sailing along the coast.

Synonyms

dory
vsjunk
2 7.9

A small flat-bottomed boat with high sides you row

is typically a larger sailing vessel rather than a small rowed craft
sampan
vsjunk
1 9.8

A small Asian boat that has a flat bottom and shelter and is moved by oars or a sail

is a larger Chinese vessel that uses big lugsails instead of oars
hoy
vsjunk
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A flat-bottomed boat used to carry heavy loads on canals

is oriented toward sailing and Chinese design rather than canal cargo use
flatboat
vsjunk
  • Archaic
1 8.1

A long boat with a flat bottom and square ends used to carry heavy loads on rivers

is a sailing Chinese craft rather than a long cargo river boat
knockabout
vsjunk
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small sailboat with simple sails and no pole at the front, easy to handle alone

is a traditional Chinese sail design with different rig and hull form
lugger
vsjunk
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small fishing boat with sails that slant

is a larger Chinese vessel using bigger lugsails and a flat hull
bumboat
vsjunk
  • UK
1 9.9

A small boat that sells food and goods to ships at sea

is a purpose-built Chinese sailing vessel rather than a supply ferry
flat-bottom
vsjunk
4.1

A boat with a level hull for shallow, calm water

is a specific Chinese design with high stern and large lugsails

Compounds

43 1.0

Food that tastes good but is unhealthy and not good for your body

piece of junk
  • Informal
36 3.2

A thing that is worth little and does not work well

junk bond
  • Specialized
33 7.0

A risky loan to a company that pays high interest but may not pay it back

16 2.1

Unwanted letters and ads sent to many people

junk science
  • Literature
7 7.4

False or weak claims presented as based on careful study to mislead people

junk DNA
  • Specialized
4 6.3

Parts of DNA that do not make proteins and whose function is mostly unknown

3 4.2

A messy pile of old broken things people throw away

2 2.7

A messy heap of old things that people throw away

2 2.1

A shop that sells cheap used things, often with little value

junk e-mail
  • Texting
2 2.5

Email sent to many people that contains unwanted ads

Jesus junk
  • Slang
9.9

Small, cheap Christian items like statues or key rings that people think are in poor taste

junk job
  • Informal
6.1

A low-paid job that is boring and gives no chance to move up

junk sport
  • Informal
8.4

An activity people think is not serious or important

junk conference
  • Informal
8.7

A conference with little real value that wastes time

junk DNA
  • Informal
4.6

Unneeded parts of a system, such as old code or data, that should be removed

junk food news
  • Literature
5.5

Short, shocking stories that entertain but do not give useful information

How Big

ocean liner
6 3.6
ship
1.0
junk
36 8.8
boat
1.0
dinghy
18 4.8

Surface Forms

junk singular
junks plural

Etymology

Junk for the Chinese boat comes from an old Asian word jong that meant 'ship', so a junk is a traditional sailing vessel with a flat bottom, high stern, and large sails.