rubbish
Americannoun
-
worthless, unwanted material that is rejected or thrown out; debris; litter; trash.
-
nonsense, as in writing or art.
sentimental rubbish.
- Synonyms:
- bosh, drivel, balderdash, rot
noun
-
worthless, useless, or unwanted matter
-
discarded or waste matter; refuse
-
foolish words or speech; nonsense
verb
Usage
What is rubbish? Rubbish is unwanted material, such as something you throw into a waste barrel, like a banana peel.Rubbish is also something that is considered nonsense and not worth anything, like an idea or a piece of art.In Australia and New Zealand, rubbish can mean to criticize or verbally attack. It’s often used informally.Example: Make sure you clean up all this rubbish before you leave tonight.
Etymology
Origin of rubbish
1350–1400; Middle English rubbes, rob ( b ) ous < ?; rubble
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.
When Stokes finally broke the media blackout, he clarified the "has-beens" comment and responded to Johnson by saying England could be called "rubbish", rather than arrogant.
From BBC
"What kind of rubbish is that?" declares the Kremlin leader.
From BBC
Cars and mounds of rubbish were seen sweeping through the main port city of Safi after torrential rain hit on Sunday.
From BBC
"When you come home from work and you've had a rubbish day, you can just look at things that bring you joy and happiness," Nicola said.
From BBC
A new study found the masked mammals known for rummaging rubbish bins for easy food, are evolving and getting comfortable around humans.
From BBC
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.
