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
From the M-W Editors
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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Corbyn, a Labour MP for 23 years before becoming the leader of the party in 2015, embodied those grievances, promising in plain English to kick over the rubbish bins in London.
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The blaze broke out in some rubbish between the two homes on Chamoune Avenue near Thorn Street around 2:10 a.m., said San Diego Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Monica Muñoz.
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Cathedrals crash to rubbish, but my towers, Carved in the whirling and enduring brain, Fade, and persist, and rise again, like flowers.
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
RUBBISH Defined for English Language Learners
rubbish
playDefinition of rubbish for English Language Learners
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: things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown out
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: words or ideas that are foolish or untrue
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: something that is worthless, unimportant, or of poor quality
RUBBISH Defined for Kids
Learn More about rubbish
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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
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