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

Way back in 1963, the city took a wrecking ball to Penn Station, turning the beautiful Beaux Arts station into rubble. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 28 May 2026

In a Gaza gutted by nearly two years of war, Eid unfolds in tent camps and rubble, with residents mourning lost children amid a fragile cease-fire that continues to claim lives. —Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026

Lebanese officials say the attacks killed more than 30 people, with children among those pulled from the rubble of buildings in the cities. —CBS News, 27 May 2026

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram Sunday that rescue workers were assisting citizens and clearing rubble. —Rebecca Schneid, Time, 24 May 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