landfill

American  

[land-fil] / ˈlændˌfɪl /

noun

• landfills
  plural

1. a low area of land that is built up from deposits of solid refuse in layers covered by soil.

2. the solid refuse itself.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to create more usable land by this means.

verb (used with object)

1. to make (an area of land) by means of a landfill.

2. to use in a landfill.

   to landfill millions of tons of garbage each year.

landfill British  

/ ˈlændˌfɪl /

noun

1. 1. disposal of waste material by burying it under layers of earth

   2. ( as modifier )

      landfill sites

---

landfill Scientific  

/ lănd′fĭl′ /

1. 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.

2. Also called sanitary landfill

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• landfills
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of landfill

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; land + fill

---

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

landfill landfills

It tested every combination of recycling, landfill, incineration and anaerobic digestion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

The agency gets the images within 48 hours, then sends out notices to landfill and oil and gas operators when methane is seen escaping.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

"Is it possible he went in the back of a bin and ended up in the landfill? Because of Biffa, we will never know what happened to Corrie and that upsets me."

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

The ban on sending black bag waste to landfill was designed to encourage more recycling, with the residual waste being sent instead to incinerators where it is burned to create electricity.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

All of the trash was carted to the lake and dumped; not only was Chicago swept clean of the fire, but a large landfill was created in the process.

From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy

Satellites and AI are also used to spot greenhouse gas emissions from individual facilities such as oil and gas sites, mines or landfills.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Carbon Mapper doesn’t have similar numbers for landfills because methods to calculate the impacts of repairs are still being developed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The company said landfills, where operations are typically predictable and monotonous, are ideal for automated equipment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

One estimate suggests that 11 million tons of REEs trapped in U.S. coal ash landfills is worth $8.4 billion -- nearly eight times the nation's current raw domestic reserves.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

She reminded him that parts of the city had been built on landfills containing arsenic, lead, mercury, barium, and other carcinogens.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• depot
• junkyard

---