rubbish

noun

rub·​bish ˈrə-bish 

 dialectal  -bij

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

ˈrə-bə-shē 

adjective

Synonyms

• garbage
• debris
• trash
• junk
• dust
• litter

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 on the Web

North Korea has responded to previous balloon campaigns with fiery rhetoric and other shows of anger, and last year the country launched its own balloons across the border, dumping rubbish on various South Korean sites, including the presidential compound. —Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025

They were were found beneath a pile of rubbish heaped just inside her front door, according to a police report released Wednesday. —Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 19 June 2025

And oftentimes, these cheap items end up as rubbish. —Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2025

This never got past the drawing board stage, but the idea kept cropping up again and again with many variations on a circular shape and performance that spanned from interesting to rubbish. —David Szondy, New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English robous

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing rubbish

• rubbish bin
• rubbish tip/dump

Kids Definition

rubbish

noun

rub·​bish ˈrəb-ish 

: useless waste or stuff that has been thrown away : trash

rubbishy

-ē 

adjective