rubble

[ ruhb-uhl or, for 3, 4, roo-buhl ]
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noun
  1. broken bits and pieces of anything, as that which is demolished: Bombing reduced the town to rubble.

  2. any solid substance, as ice, in irregularly broken pieces.

  1. rough fragments of broken stone, formed by geological processes, in quarrying, etc., and sometimes used in masonry.

  2. masonry built of rough fragments of broken stone.

Origin of rubble

1
1350–1400; Middle English rubel, robil< ?; cf. rubbish

Words Nearby rubble

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rubble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rubble

rubble

/ (ˈrʌbəl) /


noun
  1. fragments of broken stones, bricks, etc

  2. any fragmented solid material, esp the debris from ruined buildings

  1. quarrying the weathered surface layer of rock

  2. Also called: rubblework masonry constructed of broken pieces of rock, stone, etc

Origin of rubble

1
C14 robyl; perhaps related to Middle English rubben to rub, or to rubbish

Derived forms of rubble

  • rubbly, adjective

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