landfill
Americannoun
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a low area of land that is built up from deposits of solid refuse in layers covered by soil.
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the solid refuse itself.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to make (an area of land) by means of a landfill.
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to use in a landfill.
to landfill millions of tons of garbage each year.
noun
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A disposal site where solid waste, such as paper, glass, and metal, is buried between layers of dirt and other materials in such a way as to reduce contamination of the surrounding land. Modern landfills are often lined with layers of absorbent material and sheets of plastic to keep pollutants from leaking into the soil and water.
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Also called sanitary landfill
Etymology
Origin of landfill
Explanation
A landfill is a pit that is covered with dirt after being filled with waste of some kind. Some landfills are filled in with rocks for the specific purpose of raising the earth and building something on it. Garbage dumps are often called landfills, even when they're not literal pits that are filled and covered, and while "hole full of trash" might be your first thought when you hear the word, landfills are often simply a way of solidifying the ground for building. Many port cities, including Boston and Portland, Maine, have entire neighborhoods, once just areas covered in water, that were built on landfills.
Vocabulary lists containing landfill
East Asia - Middle School
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East Asia - Introductory
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East Asia - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
About 50 sanitation workers were buried when refuse toppled onto them Thursday from what a city councillor estimated was a height of 20 storeys at the Binaliw Landfill, a privately operated facility in Cebu City.
From Barron's • Jan. 10, 2026
Landfill emissions — produced by decaying food, paper and other organic waste — are a major source of planet-warming greenhouse gases and harmful air pollution statewide.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2025
Earlier this year, the South Coast air district learned about another fiery chemical reaction brewing inside El Sobrante Landfill in Corona.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2025
Landfill taxes have made the option progressively more expensive that incineration, where the rubbish is burnt in a furnace to create electricity.
From BBC • Nov. 5, 2025
Harris and Myran were identified earlier this month after being found in the Prairie Green Landfill, north of Winnipeg.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2025
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
