Scrap means a small piece or fragment of something, often leftover after the main part has been used. When you cut paper for a project, the leftover bits are scraps. A dog waiting under the dinner table hopes for scraps of food that fall or get tossed to it.

People often keep useful scraps instead of throwing them away. Quilters save fabric scraps to sew into colorful patterns. Metalworkers collect scrap metal to melt down and reuse. Your grandmother might keep a scrapbook filled with ticket stubs, photos, and other scraps from important moments.

The word also means to throw something away or abandon a plan. If your class scraps an idea for a field trip because the weather looks bad, you're canceling it. A factory might scrap a machine that's too old to repair. When you scrap your first draft and start over, you're acknowledging that the new approach will work better.

Finally, scrap can mean a brief fight or argument, though this meaning is less common today. Two friends might get into a scrap over whose turn it is to choose the game, then make up five minutes later. The word suggests something minor and quick, not a serious confrontation.