Definition of rubble
1a : broken fragments (as of rock) resulting from the decay or destruction of a building fortifications knocked into rubble — C. S. Foresterb : a miscellaneous confused mass or group of usually broken or worthless things
2 : waterworn or rough broken stones or bricks used in coarse masonry or in filling courses of walls
3 : rough stone as it comes from the quarry
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Examples of rubble in a Sentence
Rescue workers managed to pull two injured people out of the rubble.
The earthquake reduced the whole town to rubble.
Recent Examples of rubble from the Web
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Amid the concrete rubble and dust, those who survived ISIS and several months of savage combat don’t resemble a liberated people.
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Also part of the memorial is an 11-foot-tall sculpture that incorporates relics from the attacks, including a steel beam from the World Trade Center and rubble from the Pentagon.
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When Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in western Mosul to declare its liberation from the Islamic State, he was surrounded by mountains of rubble and shattered stone—all that remains of the majority of the once-great city.
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The skeletal remains of the second adult were found beneath rubble in another room within the complex, Haaretz reports.
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Half buried in a mound of rubble beside a strike crater, limbs protruded, darkened by dust and rotting in the summer heat.
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More than 300 people were arrested that night, but among the rubble, the lone chair was found in tact.
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The landmark’s destruction—and the recapture of the rubble—was hugely symbolic.
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Gone are the ruins strewn along it, including rubble from when the Kemper Arena roof collapsed in 1979.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rubble.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of rubble
Middle English robyl
rubble
Definition of rubble
rubbled
;rubbling
play \-b(ə-)liŋ\transitive verb
: to reduce to rubble
Recent Examples of rubble from the Web
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In Turkey, most of the Christian churches were in ruins, their vaulted ceilings now rubble, with battered carvings and faint traces of once-colorful frescoes left on the walls.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rubble.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of rubble
1944
RUBBLE Defined for English Language Learners
rubble
playDefinition of rubble for English Language Learners
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: broken pieces of stone, brick, etc., from walls or buildings that have fallen
RUBBLE Defined for Kids
rubble
playDefinition of rubble for Students
: rough broken pieces of stone or brick from buildings
Learn More about rubble
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See words that rhyme with rubble Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rubble Spanish Central: Translation of rubble Nglish: Translation of rubble for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of rubble for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rubble
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