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rubble

1 of 2

noun

rub·​ble ˈrə-bəl How to pronounce rubble (audio)
Synonyms of rubblenext
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 How to pronounce rubble (audio)

transitive verb

: to reduce to rubble

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Trump is a creature of the Manhattan-real-estate world; Putin grew up amid the rubble of postwar Leningrad. Andrew Ryvkin, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2025 That parent body later drifted into the inner solar system, broke apart in the asteroid belt, and eventually reassembled into the rubble-pile asteroid now known as Bennu. Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 3 Dec. 2025 The waterfront was created after the civil war by dumping thousands of tons of rubble from the ruins of Beirut into the sea. Ben Wedeman, CNN Money, 30 Nov. 2025 Savory cheddar shortbread does double duty, acting as a crisp base while also getting crumbled into a rubble-like topping alongside puffed caramel corn. Editors Of Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rubble

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of rubble was in the 14th century

Cite this Entry

“Rubble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rubble. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on rubble

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