1. plural of dross; waste or impure matter separated from metals during smelting or refining
Usage: metallurgy
2. plural of dross; something regarded as worthless or of poor quality
Usage: figurative

1. third person singular present tense of dross; to remove dross from; to purify
Usage: rare; archaic

Examples

• The metalworker carefully removed the drosses from the molten gold.
• After filtering, the drosses settled at the bottom of the container.
• Much of what passes for entertainment these days is pure drosses.
• The editor's job was to separate the drosses from the truly valuable submissions.
• Industrial drosses from steel production can sometimes be recycled.
• He drosses the silver to achieve a higher purity level.