rubbish

noun

rub·​bish ˈrə-bish 

 dialectal  -bij

1

: useless waste or rejected matter : trash

2

: something that is worthless or nonsensical

… few real masterpieces are forgotten and not much rubbish survives.

—William Bridges-Adams

rubbishy

ˈrə-bə-shē 

adjective

Synonyms of rubbish

• garbage
• debris
• trash
• junk
• dust

Examples of rubbish in a Sentence

Please, pick the rubbish up off the ground.

I think what he says is absolute rubbish!

“I'm sorry, but I had to do it.” “Rubbish!”

The food at that restaurant is complete rubbish.

Recent Examples on the Web

One hurdle for these editors is that far-right hate is more conducive to digital slop, both because algorithms prize outlandish ragebait and because the tribalistic ideas themselves are low IQ rubbish. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025

This was due to the incredible amount of rubbish that had been left to pile up inside. —Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025

This is absolute rubbish, calculated to pour gasoline on the growing divide between conservatives and progressives. —Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025

Locating and identifying seabed rubbish that's prime for removal is undertaken via onboard sonar and a vision camera, plus AI processing, to help the robot recognize trash and determine where best to grab on. —New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English robous

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing rubbish

• rubbish bin
• rubbish tip/dump

Kids Definition

rubbish

noun

rub·​bish ˈrəb-ish 

: useless waste or stuff that has been thrown away : trash

rubbishy

-ē 

adjective