garbage

noun

gar·​bage ˈgär-bij How to pronounce garbage (audio)
1
a
: food waste
b
: discarded or useless material
2
b
: inaccurate or useless data

Examples of garbage in a Sentence

The park was littered with garbage. Please take out the garbage. Raccoons were going through the garbage. Throw the can in the garbage. If you ask me, what he said is a bunch of garbage.
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.
Wasps are also scavengers, and they can often be found flying around garbage bins looking for their next meal. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 July 2025 Folsom 4th of July garbage schedule For those living in Folsom, trash and waste pickup will continue as scheduled, according to the city’s website. Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado updated July 2, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2025 Building a brand, consuming, and ejecting more junk and garbage into the world? Simon Mainwaring, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025 The front lawn was strewn with garbage pulled out by first responders. Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for garbage

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "poultry organs and body parts used for food, poultry refuse," borrowed from Anglo-French *garbage (implied in sergant garbagere "kitchen servant tasked with plucking and cleaning poultry"), of obscure origin

Note: On morphological, semantic, or chronological grounds unlikely to be related to Anglo-French garbeler, Middle English garbelen "to remove (impurities) from spices" (see garble entry 1) or to Middle French gaburge, grabuge "quarrel, brawl." The Anglo-French collocation sergant garbagere indicates currency of the word as early as 1318 (Household Ordinances of Edward II).

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of garbage was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Garbage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garbage. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

garbage

noun
gar·​bage ˈgär-bij How to pronounce garbage (audio)
1
: food waste
2
: discarded or useless material : refuse
3
: something inferior, worthless, or useless
a show that's garbage

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