rubble

1 of 2

noun

rub·​ble ˈrə-bəl 

1

a

: broken fragments (as of rock) resulting from the decay or destruction of a building

… fortifications knocked into rubble.

—C. S. Forester

b

: a miscellaneous confused mass or group of usually broken or worthless things

2

: waterworn or rough broken stones or bricks used in coarse masonry or in filling courses of walls

3

: rough stone as it comes from the quarry

rubble

2 of 2

verb

rubbled; rubbling ˈrə-b(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

: to reduce to rubble

Synonyms of rubble

Noun

• debris
• wreckage
• ruins
• remains
• ashes

Examples of rubble in a Sentence

Noun

Rescue workers managed to pull two injured people out of the rubble.

The earthquake reduced the whole town to rubble.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Emergency services were sifting through the rubble of what used to be a nine-story building on the left bank of the Dnipro River that bisects the city as the sun rose and fires flared up around it. — Gleb Garanich, USA Today, 2 July 2026

The restrictions come as time is rapidly running out for those still trapped beneath the rubble. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026

Thousands of people are feared dead as the official death toll continues to rise and hope diminishes for finding survivors in the rubble. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 July 2026

Thousands more were sleeping in crowded shelters or outside, or remained missing as family members searched the rubble. — Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English robyl

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1944, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rubble

• bubble
• double
• stubble
• trouble
• redouble

Kids Definition

rubble

noun

rub·​ble

ˈrəb-əl

1

: rough broken stones or bricks used in building

2

: a confused mass of rough or broken things