rubbish

play

noun rub·bish \ ˈrə-bish , dialectal -bij \

Definition of rubbish

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

play \-bə-shē\ adjective

See rubbish defined for English-language learners

See rubbish defined for kids

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 of rubbish from the Web

Around them, the boulevard was deserted, covered in rubbish and abandoned objects including hats, flip-flops, bags, and a pram.

— pilar suarez and andrés gonzález, The Christian Science Monitor, "ISIS claims credit for Barcelona van attack," 18 Aug. 2017
Trying to sort rubbish from reason on the internet has long been a task for humans.

— WIRED, "Instagram’s Kevin Systrom Wants to Clean Up the Internet," 14 Aug. 2017
By mid-morning, cleanup crews with garbage bags had begun to fan out across Emancipation Park to collect the rubbish.

— robert king, Indianapolis Star, "The story of Charlottesville told in debris," 13 Aug. 2017
Rubbish of all manner, but particularly bottle tops, have begun to be recycled by Dassanech women, who weave the metal caps into vibrant jangly headdresses.

— tim spector, CNN, "I spent three days as a hunter-gatherer to see if it would improve my gut health," 5 July 2017
Unfortunately, there is always that distinct minority of individuals that do not respect the basic concept of protecting our public property from accumulating trash, debris, or rubbish.

— steven j. franzen, Cincinnati.com, "Column: Criminal littering is a Class A misdemeanor," 22 June 2017
The volume and layering of rubbish made the firefighting efforts difficult and slow, as fire crawled below top layers and burrowed through the trash pile.

— kieran nicholson, The Denver Post, "Smoke visible for miles from large trash fire burning in Commerce City," 15 June 2017
There were worries about exposed gas pipes in recent weeks, and also concerns about rubbish posing a fire risk and the placement of boilers and heaters.

— Washington Post, "London high-rise fire: Cladding may have helped spread blaze," 15 June 2017
Hong Kong's coastal waters and beaches are often strewn with rubbish from mainland China, where companies discharge waste into the sea to save the cost of proper disposal, according to conservationists.

— farah master, The Christian Science Monitor, "As Hong Kong nears its waste capacity, authorities ponder solutions," 14 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rubbish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of rubbish

Middle English robous

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

rubbish Synonyms

RUBBISH Defined for English Language Learners

rubbish

play

noun

Definition of rubbish for English Language Learners

: things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown out
: words or ideas that are foolish or untrue
: something that is worthless, unimportant, or of poor quality

RUBBISH Defined for Kids

rubbish

play

noun rub·bish \ ˈrə-bish \

Definition of rubbish for Students

1 :trash 1

2 :nonsense

Learn More about rubbish

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rubbish Spanish Central: Translation of rubbish Nglish: Translation of rubbish for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of rubbish for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rubbish

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up rubbish? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

rubbish

Definition of rubbish

rubbishy

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of rubbish in a Sentence

Recent Examples of rubbish from the Web

Origin and Etymology of rubbish

rubbish Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to RUBBISH

Related Phrases

RUBBISH Defined for English Language Learners

rubbish

Definition of rubbish for English Language Learners

RUBBISH Defined for Kids

rubbish

Definition of rubbish for Students

Learn More about rubbish

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066