dumpster

noun

dump·​ster ˈdəm(p)-stər How to pronounce dumpster (audio)
variants or less commonly Dumpster
: a large trash receptacle

Examples of dumpster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
However, the second pup had been submerged in a puddle of water at the base of the dumpster and was unresponsive. Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025 In 1996, Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson had a baby in a $52-a-night Delaware hotel room, then dumped the infant in a dumpster. Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025 The body of her 15-year-old nephew was found burned in a dumpster in 2016, a year when homicides spiked to a decade-high. Omar Jimenez, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025 The restaurant violated 18 standards, including food debris on dishes and a dumpster missing a lid. Evan Moore august 29, Charlotte Observer, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dumpster

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of dumpster was in 1937

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dumpster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dumpster. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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