landfill

noun

land·​fill ˈlan(d)-ˌfil How to pronounce landfill (audio)
1
: an area built up by landfill
2
: a system of trash and garbage disposal in which the waste is buried between layers of earth to build up low-lying land

called also sanitary landfill

landfill transitive verb

Examples of landfill in a Sentence

using landfill to dispose of trash Part of the city was built on landfill.
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.
Since 2010, the program has diverted more than 1.7 million pounds of food that would have otherwise gone to landfills to help feed those experiencing food insecurity. Gary Occhiogrosso, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025 From straws and bags to take-out containers, single-use plastics crowd landfills and clog waterways. Aissa Dearing, JSTOR Daily, 22 May 2025 Trash and Transparency In Russell County, officials tried to address a similar set of problems with an unpopular solution: a giant landfill. Ben Paviour, New York Times, 19 May 2025 Environmental advocates and community members expressed concerns that the rollback could result in toxic dust blowing into communities near local landfills or dangerous chemicals leaching into groundwater. Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for landfill

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of landfill was in 1903

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Landfill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/landfill. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

landfill

noun
land·​fill -ˌfil How to pronounce landfill (audio)
1
: a system of trash and garbage disposal in which the waste is buried between layers of earth
2
: an area built up by landfill

More from Merriam-Webster on landfill

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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