bin
noun
a box or enclosed place for storing grain, coal, or the like.
bin
1 American
[bin]
/ bɪn /
noun
-
bins
plural
verb (used with object)
-
bins,
present (3rd person singular)
-
binned,
past participle, past
-
binning
present participle
bin-
2
American
bin
1
British
/ bɪn /
noun
-
a large container or enclosed space for storing something in bulk, such as coal, grain, or wool
-
Also called: bread bin. a small container for bread
-
Also called: dustbin. rubbish bin. a container for litter, rubbish, etc
-
-
a storage place for bottled wine
-
one particular bottling of wine
-
verb
-
(tr) to store in a bin
-
(tr) to put in a wastepaper bin
bin-
2
British
prefix
Usage
What does bin- mean? Bin- is a combining form used like a prefix, and it means “two” or “two at a time.” While it appears in a variety of scientific terms, it’s also easily recognizable in everyday terms. Bin- comes from the Latin bīnī, meaning “two each” or “by twos.”Bin- is related to the combining form bi- and is used with some words or word elements beginning with vowels. These two forms have similar origins, and for that reason, the difference between the two is a small yet important nuance: bin- tends to mean “double,” while bi- often means “twice.” Want to know more? Read our Words That Use bi- article.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
binsimple
-
binssimple
-
have binnedperfect
-
has binnedperfect
-
am binningprogressive
-
are binningprogressive
-
is binningprogressive
-
have been binningperfect progressive
-
has been binningperfect progressive
Past
-
binnedsimple
-
had binnedperfect
-
was binningprogressive
-
were binningprogressive
-
had been binningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bin1
before 950; Middle English binne, Old English binn ( e ) crib, perhaps < Celtic; compare Welsh benn cart
Origin of bin-2
Combining form of Latin bīnī two each, by twos
Explanation
A bin is a box or other lidded container. You might store onions and potatoes in a vegetable bin in your kitchen. The noun bin is especially good for describing a specific kind of container, like a toy bin at a preschool or a compost bin on the counter. Bin is more commonly used in Britain than in the United States — a Londoner might say, "Oh, just throw that in the bin," while a New Yorker is more likely to say, "Throw it in the trash," or "Toss it in the garbage." The root word is the Old English binne, "basket."
Vocabulary lists containing bin
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:
Vote counting was under way early Friday after an unusual English by-election shunned by mainstream parties, pitting influential hard-right leader Nigel Farage against Count Binface, a man with a rubbish bin on his head.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
But in a pantheon of colourful characters, Count Binface, a man wearing a rubbish bin over his head, is stealing the show.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
The latest polls suggest that a full 20 percent of the electorate intends to vote for the bin, a gigantic improvement on any of Binface’s past showings, and in any case an embarrassment for Farage.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026
Pro tip: In the months leading up to the move, I also saved boxes from deliveries I received, instead of hauling them downstairs to the recycling bin.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
The woman scooped an armful of tutus from a bin and dumped them in Penelope’s arms.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Bill has taken out my trash bins for decades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
They were formed with cones, shipping pallets, chairs, trash bins, or even neighbors inside a traffic circle.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Goals were awarded instead of points, dribbling outlawed and rings with nets replaced the bins.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
She mops the comb plates of escalators, empties trash bins and sweeps the platform of the No. 7 line subway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
She pulls a few books off the shelves and hands them to Teddy, and then she leads us to an alcove with a rainbow shag rug on the ground and plastic bins on shelves.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
There was still 30 seconds left to play when the invasion happened, but that time was binned in the chaos.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
Another said their opposition was "non-negotiable" and the reforms needed to be "binned" rather than mitigated.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
Even when Joe Hawkins was binned after five minutes Wales grew stronger.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
However, Quins had fly-half Smith binned in the second half and La Rochelle took advantage to draw level through unconverted tries by former England wing Jack Nowell and scrum-half Thomas Berjon.
From Barron's ● Jan. 18, 2026
There, he dutifully produced ambitious, unworkable proposals that were read with amused tolerance and promptly binned.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
"Together, we pioneered the trio binning method for genome assembly. This approach was also published in Nature Communications."
From Science Daily ● Jan. 12, 2026
England prop Joe Marler has apologised for a "poorly articulated" social media post before Saturday's match against New Zealand, where he said the haka "needs binning".
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2024
Practising good hygiene - using and then binning a tissue for coughs and sneezes and washing your hands - can help prevent this.
From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2023
This new information about olfactory genes in cats was made possible through a new approach to genome sequencing called trio binning, which allows researchers to sequence the most difficult regions of a genome.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2023
The goodman cast a binning, and the goodwife the spurtle.
From More English Fairy Tales by John Dickson Batten
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.
