rubble

noun rub·ble \ ˈrə-bəl \

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

It was torn down over the past month with the last bits of rubble being cleared away this week.

— j. harry jones, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Wagon Wheel being replaced with shopping center in Escondido," 29 Aug. 2017
At first, assessing damage was almost impossible, with trees splintered and strewn amid the rubble in twisted piles.

— jenny staletovich, miamiherald, "The secret history of a hurricane hidden in Miami’s mangrove forest," 27 Aug. 2017
Only now is the terrible cost of the victory emerging, in quarters of the Old City ground to rubble by airstrikes and shelling and suicide bombs.

— chicagotribune.com, "After 'victory' over ISIS, Mosul discovers the cost: Homes were turned into graves," 23 Aug. 2017
There’s that pent-up desire to escape having to wear hand-me-downs—because clothing was rationed as well—to get away from the rubble of the war, to make the future happen.

— pam mandel, Longreads, "Billy Bragg: Skiffle Songs Are Railroad Songs," 4 Aug. 2017
With a gentle hand, Flourney weaves in scenes of despair, chaos, and survival, while showing a family struggling to, literally, pick up the pieces left in the rubble of a fight Black people have long waged against injustice.

— malaika jabali, Essence.com, "'Detroit:' The Real Story Behind One Of The Most Horrific Police Brutality Events In History," 3 Aug. 2017
The Ikeda family lived in a two-story house that — less than 900 yards from the epicenter — had been reduced to rubble.

— hal bernton, The Seattle Times, "Under the mushroom cloud: Will Nagasaki’s story be told at Hanford’s new national park?," 2 Aug. 2017
That is where there is a steep drop-off from the upper-level mall parking lot and the lower-level lot, and making a sloping hill with the rubble will hopefully prevent any injuries from someone who might topple off the edge, Konopko said.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "As Lincoln Mall demolition continues, debris being recycled," 28 July 2017
Authorities say at least 15 people have been rescued from the rubble of the four-story building that collapsed Tuesday afternoon.

— Bloomberg.com, "The Latest: Rescue Efforts End in Nigeria Building Collapse," 26 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

rubble Synonyms

Synonyms

ashes, debris, detritus, flotsam, residue, remains, 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 \-b(ə-)liŋ\

transitive verb

:to reduce to rubble

Recent Examples of rubble from the Web

The bulldozers arrived in Vila Autódromo, too, reducing most of the favela to rubble.

— mimi whitefield, miamiherald, "Brazilians dislocated by Rio Olympics try to rebuild lives and communities," 24 Aug. 2017
Close to three months of fierce fighting and aerial strikes have now displaced more than 500,000, killed more than 500, and reduced much of Marawi City to rubble.

— ana p. santos, The Atlantic, "How Two Brothers Took Over a Filipino City for ISIS," 12 Aug. 2017
Its 145 mph winds tore apart the working-class suburb of Homestead, reducing entire city blocks to rubble.

— alan gomez, USA TODAY, "As Hurricane Andrew memories fade, Florida weakens building codes," 10 Aug. 2017
Industrial demolition equipment continues to reduce the former Metcalf South Shopping Center to rubble in Overland Park.

— diane stafford, kansascity, "Clawing away at retail history at Metcalf South Shopping Center," 26 July 2017
Some escapees say bodies of residents have been left in the streets, some for weeks, and civilians are distressed by government air strikes and artillery bombardments that have reduced parts of Marawi to rubble.

— kanupriya kapoor, The Christian Science Monitor, "Five weeks after ISIS captured town, residents forced to serve, marry, and fight for militants," 27 June 2017
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.

— celestine bohlen, New York Times, "Music and Ancient History in the Caucasus," 20 June 2017

First Known Use of rubble

1944

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

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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

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