dumpster

noun

dump·​ster ˈdəm(p)-stər 

variants or less commonly Dumpster

: a large trash receptacle

Examples of dumpster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Maybe your apartment dumpster hasn’t been emptied in days, or maybe a neighbor keeps tossing bags into your garbage can without asking. — Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Aug. 2026

By making the encounter stressful, biologists hope the bear will leave the neighborhood, head back into wild habitat, and think twice before returning for another easy meal from a dumpster or trash can. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026

Asked why the items would have been left in an outdoor dumpster ahead of a rainy weekend, a CPS spokesperson said employees had been placing a tarp over the dumpster. — Sara MacHi, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2026

The truck was owned by Arkansas Mini Dumpsters, a roll-off dumpster company. — Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 30 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

dump entry 1 + -ster (originally in the trademarked name Dempster Dumpster, applied to mechanically loaded refuse containers produced by the Dempster Brothers Company of Knoxville, Tennessee)

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dumpster

• dumpster diving
• dumpster fire