dumpster

American  

[duhmp-ster] / ˈdʌmp stər /

Or Dumpster

noun

1. a large metal or plastic bin for refuse designed to be hoisted onto a specially equipped truck for emptying or hauling away.

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Etymology

Origin of dumpster

First recorded in 1935–40; dump ( def. ) + -ster ( def. ), originally part of the jingle “Dempster Dumpster, ” a trademark for a large trash container manufactured by the Dempster Brothers Company in Knoxville, Tennessee

Example Sentences

The facility, its fortunes dependent on people moving in but never moving out, didn’t provide a dumpster.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

And so-called artificial intelligence, of course, is adding napalm to this dumpster fire.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026

In Darnold’s case, that fire was the dumpster blaze known as the New York Jets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

But they haven’t been as forgiving with respect to AI, and tinkering around the fringes of a division that was already headed for the dumpster isn’t likely to change that.

From Barron's • Dec. 4, 2025

“I’m going to check the dumpster again in the morning, when Mr. Ship won’t see me,” she said.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly