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flotsam noun

Click to hear the UK pronunciation of this wordClick to hear the US pronunciation of this word/ˈflɒt.səm//ˈflɑːt-/ n [U] (also flotsam and jetsam)

Definition

pieces of broken wood and other waste materials found on the beach or floating on the sea
We wandered along the shore, stepping over the flotsam that had washed up in the night.
anything or anyone that is not wanted or not considered to be important or useful
The homeless sleep in doorways and stations - we step over their bodies like so much human flotsam.

(Definition of flotsam noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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