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.
And while tech companies have taken steps to extract and recycle that gold for years, much of it still ends up in landfills. Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 26 June 2025 Billions of dollars in returns—many of which end up in landfills—are a symptom of a deeper problem: digital discovery isn’t built for how people think or shop. Sindhya Valloppillil, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025 In Boulder, more than 140 million pounds of materials have been kept out of landfills since a deconstruction ordinance was adopted in 2020, according to the city of Boulder's circular economy policy adviser, Emily Freeman. Rae Solomon, NPR, 13 June 2025 The city owns the trash trucks, hires the employees and manages the landfill. Letters To The Editor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 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 5 Jul. 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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