garbage can
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of garbage can
An Americanism dating back to 1905–10
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.
“No Black person’s ever asked me why Mookie threw the garbage can through the window,” he notes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025
A few minutes later I came upon another man, who was digging through a garbage can for something to drink.
From Salon • Aug. 5, 2025
Following a bear, who’ll knock over a garbage can to lick out a discarded jar of peanut butter but may ignore chicken bones, could be a win for the smaller animal.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2025
I’d hide forbidden foods in the garbage can in my bedroom.
From Slate • Jul. 20, 2024
I was in my bedroom straightening up things, shooting left-hand jumpers with pieces of trash into my garbage can on the other side of the room.
From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds
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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.