dumpster
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
International fans who have lived with this flaming dumpster of technology have to chuckle at a Jason-come-lately discovering the bane of their existence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
“It’s been a dumpster fire of a year,” he said.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
And so-called artificial intelligence, of course, is adding napalm to this dumpster fire.
From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2026
“Some people are free to choose between five-star restaurants, while others choose which dumpster will provide their next meal,” Morello said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
Hiding behind the Olivarez family’s dumpster, I opened my backpack.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
When he learned of the raid on his parents, Bahraman rushed to throw out all of the Bibles in public dumpsters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2026
He said it cost him $40,000 to hire a private contractor to gather up and dispose of several dumpsters of busted-up concrete.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2025
His brother, Jess, despite reports of a substantial inheritance, has been photographed living rough and foraging in dumpsters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
Terrified attendees fled through fields, hid behind trees and in dumpsters, videos of the scene showed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2025
Freckles says, leading me back “home,” past dumpsters and a pizza place and a few business guys.
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
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.
