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

Most bears are out there catching salmon, digging through dumpsters and scavenging for berries. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Supermarket owners described throwing out nearly a dumpster’s worth of frozen food. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 Oct. 2026

Lids were left off of exterior garbage dumpster, with several flies swarming the area. — Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Tara and her husband, Ian, pulled into Galax late Saturday afternoon, just in time to get a bite before parking their Four Winds RV by the dumpsters behind the Applebee’s at the edge of town. — David Alm, Longreads, 1 Oct. 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