junking
Rummaging for usable scrap, thrift finds, or roadside treasure.
Also called picking, scavenging, thrifting.
Updated September 24, 2026
junking pronunciation
/JUNK-in/
Meaning
Going out to dig through other folks' cast-offs. Yard sales, flea markets, barn piles, scrap yards, bulky-trash day by the curb. Some junk for metal money. Some junk to fix up and keep. In Southern talk, going junking is a weekend plan, not an insult.
How folks use it
- “We're going junking Saturday if you want to ride along.”
- “He spent the morning junking behind the old chicken houses.”
Origin and etymology
From junk for discarded stuff, turned into a verb for hunting it. American collectors and scrap haulers both use the word. Southern writers and shop talk lean on going junking for thrift and antique runs. Exact start date is fuzzy; the habit is older than the label.