trash

noun \ ˈtrash \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 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

Firefighters tackled at least three fires that damaged several trash cans, a fence and multiple cars in Ocean Beach, police said.

— city news service, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Firefighters respond to multiple fires in Ocean Beach," 13 July 2018
Check whether the room comes with a trash can or lamp.

— lisa a. flam, Fox News, "Preparing your teen for college dorm life? Don't over-pack," 10 July 2018
Fire Marshal Byron Turnquist told the Free Press that the family set off the fireworks to celebrate July 4th, then placed them in the trash can and went inside.

— marc daalder, Detroit Free Press, "Fireworks left in trash set West Bloomfield house ablaze," 5 July 2018
Last year, environmentalists installed trash cans with ashtrays at beaches in Dania Beach, Deerfield Beach, Lake Worth, Juno Beach and Jupiter.

— dan sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Is it time to ban beach smoking?," 2 July 2018
There were gardens of dying flowers and trash cans overloaded with uncollected garbage.

— eli saslow, Anchorage Daily News, "Raids are separating families in the heartland," 1 July 2018
Unlike plastic bags that are used in trash cans and ultimately contained in landfills, single use carry-out bags often end up blowing around streets, clogging storm drains and making their way into waterways.

— frank kummer, Philly.com, "N.J. poised to impose 5-cent fee on plastic bags, so why aren't environmentalists happy?," 22 June 2018
Garbage from the event was stacked on top of trash cans.

— terrell jermaine starr, The Root, "22 Injured At Trenton, NJ Arts Festival Shooting," 17 June 2018
The fire was caused by fireworks that were improperly disposed in a trash can, officials said.

— lavendrick smith, charlotteobserver, "Fireworks cause house to catch fire in east Charlotte," 5 July 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

trash Synonyms

trash

verb

Definition of trash

trashed; trashing; trashes

transitive verb

1 : throw away 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

See trash defined for English-language learners

Examples of trash in a Sentence

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 of trash from the Web

And Lanez applies himself energetically to trash talking.

— john adamian, courant.com, "Britney Spears, Tory Lanez, Kimya Dawson: Seven Concert Highlights," 7 July 2018
And, shockingly, people aren’t as keen to work for a man who regularly trashes his employees on social media and has taken to firing them via Twitter.

— bess levin, The Hive, "The White House Is Two Staff Defections Away from Advertising Jobs on Craiglist," 14 June 2018
The same guy who put the fix in for Hillary, and the same guy who trashed President Trump in text message after a text message and then a few days after, exonerating and rigging the Hillary investigation, launches an investigation into Donald Trump.

— Fox News, "Hannity: Another stinging setback for the special counsel," 17 May 2018
Bryant gets a fresh start with a brand new locker room, while the Steelers jettison a player who trashed a fellow wide receiver on Twitter in October and was reportedly seeking a trade in midseason.

— robert klemko, SI.com, "Draft Notes: For Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, the Wait Was Worth It," 27 Apr. 2018
Given the amount of beer and liquor bottles visible in grassy areas even after last week’s state cleanup, alcohol is clearly among the drugs of choice for many members of the party crowd who trash DOD Ponds.

— kevin riordan, Philly.com, "A cache of syringes befoul a favorite South Jersey fishing spot," 20 Apr. 2018
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in locating vandals who trashed a concession building at a public park in Independence, stealing money and food in the process.

— kim chatelain, NOLA.com, "'Scoundrels' trash North Shore park building, police say," 18 Apr. 2018
And while director Peyton Reed’s movie trashes a few San Francisco tourist destinations, no country is decimated, and no planet gets pummeled.

— angela watercutter, WIRED, "Ant-Man and the Wasp and the Importance of Small Stories in Big Universes," 5 July 2018
And the mayhem is contagious, with fans of the band famously trashing venues at concerts over the years.

— john adamian, courant.com, "Slayer's Farewell Tour At Mohegan Sun," 26 May 2018