rubble

noun rub·ble \ ˈrə-bəl \

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

Definition of rubble

1 a : broken fragments (as of rock) resulting from the decay or destruction of a building

fortifications knocked into rubble
—C. S. Forester

b : 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

See rubble defined for English-language learners

See rubble defined for kids

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

Clearing of rubble is largely financed by the United Nations' development agency, and repairs are proceeding slowly.

— balint szlanko, Fox News, "1,000 bodies of militant fighters buried in Mosul mass grave," 13 Apr. 2018
Soon, idealism will go astray, adolescence will be left to its own devices, children will be betrayed by insufficient parenting and the survivors will be made to pick through the rubble.

— jesse green, New York Times, "Review: The Chaos Beneath the Chorale in ‘The Lucky Ones’," 31 Mar. 2018
One of the saddest parts in Mockingjay Part 1 is when Katniss walks through the rubble that's left of the districts.

— elizabeth denton, Seventeen, "5 Kickass Katniss Everdeen Halloween Costumes That You Can Recreate for Cheap," 15 Sep. 2015
Footage and photographs released by the Taliban purported to show dead and injured children being buried or carried away from the rubble on stretchers.

— NBC News, "Children feared dead as Afghan airstrikes targeting Taliban kill dozens," 4 Apr. 2018
All of the rubble will be crushed and recycled for local road projects, said Jeremy Triebenbach, senior project manager with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.

— don behm, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "South wall of Estabrook Park dam falls under blows of hydraulic hammer," 2 Apr. 2018
Priceless heritage, like Mosul’s old city, was reduced to rubble.

— The Economist, "Fifteen years after America’s invasion, Iraq is getting back on its feet," 28 Mar. 2018
Back in Raqqa, the Khatib’s house was a pile of rubble.

— robert avery, Houston Chronicle, "Former players recall when Pasadena opposed Japan in special series," 25 Mar. 2018
Nine other people were pulled from the rubble, according to the Herald.

— caitlin keating, PEOPLE.com, "Police Confirm At Least 4 Dead in Miami Pedestrian Bridge Collapse," 15 Mar. 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

rubble Synonyms

Synonyms

ashes, debris, detritus, flotsam, remains, residue, ruins, wreck, wreckage;

Related Words

jetsam, leavings, remnant;

chaff, deadwood, dross, dust, garbage, junk, litter, refuse, riffraff, rubbish, scrap, trash, waste;

Other Building Terms

batten, cistern, hearth, lath, transom, wainscot

rubble

verb

Definition of rubble

rubbled; rubbling play \ˈrə-b(ə-)liŋ\

transitive verb

: to reduce to rubble

Recent Examples of rubble from the Web

Some people had been wounded in the recent airstrikes by Syria and its Russian allies that have reduced much of the area to rubble.

— nada homsi and nick cumming-bruce, New York Times, "‘We Were Dying in There’: Thousands of Syrians Flee Rebel Enclave," 15 Mar. 2018
Russian military officials and diplomats also have scolded the U.S.-led coalition for reducing the one-time IS capital, Raqqa, to rubble and causing severe suffering for its residents.

— Washington Post, "US general: Russia is both ‘arsonist and fireman’ in Syria," 27 Feb. 2018
Since igniting Sunday in spots across eight counties, the blazes have reduced entire neighborhoods to ash and rubble.

— kim chatelain, NOLA.com, "Girl, 3, drowns in ice cream parlor grease trap: report," 15 Oct. 2017
Since igniting Sunday in spots across eight counties, the blazes have reduced entire neighborhoods to ash and rubble.

— kim chatelain, NOLA.com, "Girl, 3, drowns in ice cream parlor grease trap: report," 15 Oct. 2017
Since igniting Sunday in spots across eight counties, the blazes have reduced entire neighborhoods to ash and rubble.

— kim chatelain, NOLA.com, "Girl, 3, drowns in ice cream parlor grease trap: report," 15 Oct. 2017
Mexico is still reeling from Thursday's earthquake, which killed at least 32 people and reduced hundreds of buildings to rubble.

— amanda erickson, Washington Post, "The city hardest hit by Mexico’s earthquake is a sexually liberated matriarchy," 8 Sep. 2017
Since igniting Sunday in spots across eight counties, the blazes have reduced entire neighborhoods to ash and rubble.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Hueytown woman found shot to death on Fairfield sidewalk," 13 Oct. 2017
Humanitarian agencies working in Marawi say the military did its best to protect civilians and minimize damage to mosques, but the fighting has reduced much of the city to rubble.

— ana p. santos, USA TODAY, "Is Philippines' Marawi free from ISIS influence?," 26 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of rubble

1944

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

RUBBLE Defined for English Language Learners

rubble

noun

Definition of rubble for English Language Learners

: broken pieces of stone, brick, etc., from walls or buildings that have fallen

RUBBLE Defined for Kids

rubble

noun rub·ble \ ˈrə-bəl \

Definition of rubble for Students

: rough broken pieces of stone or brick from buildings

Learn More about rubble

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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rubble

Definition of rubble

Examples of rubble in a Sentence

Recent Examples of rubble from the Web

Origin and Etymology of rubble

rubble Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Building Terms

rubble

Definition of rubble

Recent Examples of rubble from the Web

First Known Use of rubble

RUBBLE Defined for English Language Learners

rubble

Definition of rubble for English Language Learners

RUBBLE Defined for Kids

rubble

Definition of rubble for Students

Learn More about rubble

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