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.
The village's website allows residents to schedule special pickups for debris and has a list of dumpsters located throughout the village. Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 11 Aug. 2025 Video footage shows Hart climbing inside the dumpster and grabbing hold of the snake. Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025 On April 17, 2025, Steven Trenton received a citation for another code violation at that address for endangering the welfare of others by failing to erect a screen around the trash dumpsters. Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 29 July 2025 Once neighbors had amassed a pile of larger items, one of the camp's earliest residents, a sinewy man in his 50s named Tom Rock, walked over and began helping to lift them into the dumpster. Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 26 July 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 22 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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