1
a
: broken fragments (as of rock) resulting from the decay or destruction of a building
… fortifications knocked into rubble.—
C. S. Forester
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
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
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
Twenty family members are still missing in the rubble, too difficult to reach.
—Anas Baba, NPR, 6 May 2026
At least one car was trapped beneath the rubble.
—Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
Later on Saturday, crews found the woman's body in the rubble.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rubble
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
The project applies a circular-economy model to the foundations of the cities by replacing natural aggregates with recycled rubble.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
Twenty family members are still missing in the rubble, too difficult to reach.
—Anas Baba, NPR, 6 May 2026
At least one car was trapped beneath the rubble.
—Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
Later on Saturday, crews found the woman's body in the rubble.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rubble
Cite this Entry
“Rubble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rubble. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
