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Showing results for ashcan. Search instead for ashpan.
Synonyms

ashcan

American  
[ash-kan] / ˈæʃˌkæn /

noun

  1. a large metal barrel, can, or similar receptacle for ashes, garbage, or refuse.

  2. Slang. a depth charge.

  3. Movies. an arc light of 1000 watts, enclosed in a reflector.


Etymology

Origin of ashcan

First recorded in 1895–1900; ash 1 + can 2

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:

The 1940s sundered the 20th century, dispatching an entire global framework and any number of abiding social orders to the ashcan of history.

From The Guardian Mar. 28, 2018

Even the ashcan colors and chiaroscuro lighting brighten.

From New York Times Nov. 8, 2011

In Garrett's design, raw garbage straight from the ashcan would be chopped into gravel-sized pieces by an enormous shredder, then run through a dryer to remove moisture.

From Time Magazine Archive

While the newspaper-trained illustrators who became the ashcan school saw ugliness as a police court scene, their friend.

From Time Magazine Archive

That was only an ashcan you bumped into.

From Humoresque A Laugh on Life with a Tear Behind It by Hurst, Fannie

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