trash

noun \ ˈtrash \

Updated on: 17 May 2018

Definition of trash

1 : something worth little or nothing: such as

a : junk, rubbish

b (1) : inferior or worthless writing or artistic matter (such as a television show); especially : such matter intended purely for sensational entertainment

(2) : trash talk

(3) : empty talk : nonsense

2 : a worthless person; also : such persons as a group : riffraff

3 : something in a crumbled or broken condition or mass; especially : debris from pruning or processing plant material

See trash defined for English-language learners

See trash defined for kids

Examples of trash in a Sentence

Take out the trash, please.
I put the dirty diaper in the trash.
I can't believe you're reading that trash.
She thinks that they're all trash.

Recent Examples of trash from the Web

Lewis's body was found about 6:30 a.m. Nov. 10, 1997 lying beside a trash bin at an auto glass shop on Carnegie Avenue near East 71st Street, Bell said.

— cory shaffer, cleveland.com, "Cleveland man imprisoned for woman's 2003 strangling charged in 1997 cold case strangling, rape," 11 May 2018
Apparently, Hackett had either food poisoning or a religious vision, but as a result Ford will dump all its car lines into history’s trash bin — except the Mustang and a new Focus crossover that will be built in China and exported to America.

— ed wallace, star-telegram, "Ford Quits the Car Business," 5 May 2018
Reports of a strong odor led police to the trash bin at 2200 West Cove Avenue, which is near Cave Creek Park, police spokesman Sgt.

— chris mccrory, azcentral, "Phoenix police suspect homicide after body found in dumpster," 30 Apr. 2018
After tossing the beer in a trash bin, he was cited for alcohol and paused as officers led him out of the building.

— jesse garza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Kirk Schandelmeier died homeless. But while alive, he was a poet, actor, writer, dreamer," 23 Apr. 2018
The Boys built the prototype in the basement of their fraternity, Delta Upsilon, using microcontrollers, inexpensive oven hoods, household power strips, and plastic trash bins, and attaching an air-conditioner to keep ingredients cool.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "When a Robot Makes You Dinner," 10 Apr. 2018
Employees had discovered people rummaging through trash bins or trying door handles on upper floors early in the morning, said Chris Schutte, the city development director, who oversees the real estate department.

— devin kelly, Anchorage Daily News, "Anchorage City Hall adds guard and changes building hours amid security concerns," 6 Apr. 2018
Mcneill has found joy in tending to his beloved yard again and using power tools to build a wood trash bin receptacle.

— meredith cohn, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore police officer spends four years recovering from gunshots in hope of returning to duty," 5 Apr. 2018
Testimony at his 2008 trial showed Baldwin had about 50 blunt force wounds and may have been alive when she was folded into the suitcase and tossed into a trash bin.

— john patrick pullen, Time, "Texas Executes 'Suitcase Killer' Minutes After U.S. Supreme Court Rejects His Death Penalty Appeal," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trash.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of trash

Middle English trasch fallen leaves and twigs, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect trask rubbish; Old Norse tros fallen leaves and twigs, Old English trus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1518

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year