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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.
On January 9, 2023, police went to the dumpsters and took them to a facility in Peabody. Matt Schooley, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025 The contents of the dumpsters were later incinerated. Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025 The group also created a blockade with piles of wood and cardboard from a construction dumpster and trash bins, according to videos from the scene. Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025 Alpert says this Dyson Animal 3 saved a dirty carpet in her home that was destined for the dumpster. Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 28 Nov. 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 3 Dec. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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