garbageman

noun

gar·​bage·​man ˈgär-bij-ˌman How to pronounce garbageman (audio)
: one who collects and hauls away garbage

Examples of garbageman 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.
As Robbie Prendergrast, Pelphrey delivers a layered performance as a single father who works as a garbageman by day, but at night becomes a masked robber who steals from various members of a motorcycle gang to keep his family afloat. Emily Longeretta, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025 In an episode of the new HBO miniseries Task, Pennsylvania garbageman Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) briefly takes hostage one of the members of the law-enforcement task force that’s been chasing him for his side gig robbing drug stash houses. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025 Trash continued to pile up across more than a dozen Eastern Massachusetts towns and cities as garbagemen remained on strike for a fifth day, this time with support from a local firefighter’s union. Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 5 July 2025 Noah would wait every week to see his friend, the garbageman. Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 4 May 2025 The garbagemen had not taken away the wheelie bin stuffed with recyclables. Geoff Dyer, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025 In the 2020 documentary Giving Voice, one of Wilson’s longtime collaborators notes that part of the playwright’s evocative power came from his choice in subjects: a garbageman who used to play in the Negro Leagues, a trumpet player who never became famous. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 10 Dec. 2024 Across the country in Clark County, Nevada, just after 8 am in the low-ceilinged room at Calvary Red Rock Church just east of the Las Vegas strip, the band onstage was finishing its set, the lights went up, and Pastor Gregg Seymour strode onto stage, dressed as a garbageman. David Gilbert, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024 The screaming garbageman is always going to get more attention than the one who just goes about his business quietly and effectively. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

garbage + man entry 1

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of garbageman was in 1855

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Garbageman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garbageman. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

garbageman

noun
gar·​bage·​man ˈgär-bij-ˌman How to pronounce garbageman (audio)
: a person who collects and hauls away garbage
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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