trash

1 of 2

noun

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)
(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 trashedEdwin Diamond
2
3
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

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
Stop mosquitoes from breeding around your home by regularly emptying standing water and discarding trash. Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 13 Sep. 2024 At the University of Tennessee, Wood picked up and sorted trash scattered by 100,000 people at football games. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2024
Verb
Tax cut conundrum Harris and Democrats would like to tarnish Trump’s record on the economy by trashing his plan to cut taxes. Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Sep. 2024 The gun seller usually agrees with Republicans trashing President Biden. Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, 16 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for trash 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trash.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of trash was circa 1529

Dictionary Entries Near trash

Cite this Entry

“Trash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trash. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

trash

noun
ˈtrash
1
: something of little or no value: as
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

More from Merriam-Webster on trash

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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