rubble

1 of 2

noun

rub·​ble ˈrə-bəl 

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

rubble

2 of 2

verb

rubbled; rubbling ˈrə-b(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

: to reduce to rubble

Synonyms of rubble

Noun

• debris
• wreckage
• ruins
• remains
• ashes

Examples of rubble in a Sentence

Noun

Rescue workers managed to pull two injured people out of the rubble.

The earthquake reduced the whole town to rubble.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In times of crumble and collapse, buildings and governments may fall, but stories are the ghosts that whisper to us from the rubble. —Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026

The bodies of the victims were still being dug out from under the rubble on Sunday morning, according to state media reports. —Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026

Clearing rubble and burying the dead Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry summoned Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul to protest the strikes. —Munir Ahmed, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026

The skiing career was likely over, but Wonder Woman was still there, climbing out from the rubble. —Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English robyl

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1944, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rubble

• bubble
• double
• stubble
• trouble
• redouble

Kids Definition

rubble

noun

rub·​ble

ˈrəb-əl

1

: rough broken stones or bricks used in building

2

: a confused mass of rough or broken things