trash

1 of 2

noun

ˈtrash 

1

: something worth little or nothing: such as

a

: things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown away : 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

trash

2 of 2

verb

trashed; trashing; trashes

transitive verb

1

: throw away sense 1

Standards of reality and truth were trashed …

—Edwin Diamond

2

: vandalize, destroy

3

: attack, assault

4

: spoil, ruin

trashing the environment

5

: to subject to criticism or invective

especially : to disparage strongly

a film trashed by the critics

intransitive verb

: to trash something or someone

Synonyms of trash

Noun

• garbage
• debris
• rubbish
• junk
• dust
• litter

Verb

• attack
• slam
• insult
• scold
• abuse
• savage

Examples of trash in a Sentence

Noun

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.

Verb

a computer program that trashes useless files

The vacuum cleaner couldn't be fixed, so I trashed it.

The apartment had been trashed.

He says that the government's policies are trashing the environment.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Not everything is thrift-worthy but not everything is trash-worthy either. —Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 7 Feb. 2026

It is usually broken down into mulch to cover up landfill trash. —Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2026

Verb

Burn only seasoned hardwood firewood—never trash, cardboard, or treated wood. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2026

Critics are trashing Melania the doc, as reflected by its current 6 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. —Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 1 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1902, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing trash

• talk trash
• trailer trash
• trash can
• trash compactor
• trash fish
• trash talk
• white trash

Rhymes for trash

• ash
• bash
• brash
• cache
• cash
• clash
• crash
• dash
• flash
• gash
• hash
• lash

Kids Definition

trash

noun

ˈtrash

1

: something of little or no value: as

a

: junk entry 1 sense 2, rubbish

b

: silly or worthless talk or works (as books)

2

: a low or worthless person

also : such persons as a group : rabble sense 2

trashy

ˈtrash-ē

adjective