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• bin
  bin

  noun

  a box or enclosed place for storing grain, coal, or the like.
• bin-
  bin-

  a combining form meaning “two,” “two at a time,” used in the formation of compound words.

bin

¹ American  

[bin] / bɪn /

noun

• bins
  plural

1. a box or enclosed place for storing grain, coal, or the like.

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verb (used with object)

• bins,
  present (3rd person singular)
• binned,
  past participle,  past
• binning
  present participle

1. to store in a bin.

bin- ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “two,” “two at a time,” used in the formation of compound words.

   binary; binocular.

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bin ¹ British  

/ bɪn /

noun

1. a large container or enclosed space for storing something in bulk, such as coal, grain, or wool

2. Also called: bread bin. a small container for bread

3. Also called: dustbin, rubbish bin. a container for litter, rubbish, etc

4. 1. a storage place for bottled wine

   2. one particular bottling of wine

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verb

1. (tr) to store in a bin

2. (tr) to put in a wastepaper bin

bin- ² British  

prefix

1. a variant, esp before a vowel, of bi- 1

   binocular

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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

• unbinned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bins
  plural

Participles

• binning
  present
• binned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bin
  simple
• bins
  simple
• have binned
  perfect
• has binned
  perfect
• am binning
  progressive
• are binning
  progressive
• is binning
  progressive
• have been binning
  perfect progressive
• has been binning
  perfect progressive

Past

• binned
  simple
• had binned
  perfect
• was binning
  progressive
• were binning
  progressive
• had been binning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bin
  simple
• will have binned
  perfect
• will be binning
  progressive
• will have been binning
  perfect progressive

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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

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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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bin bins binned binning

More importantly, he provided for the Godolphin Stable of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai its first victory in the Derby and the Classic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

“The thing you want to do when things aren’t working is to throw it in a trash bin and just do something else,” McDaniel told reporters this week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

It has been seen as a diplomatic bridge between the West and Iran and Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said will be given the full soft power treatment from his royal hosts.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

"The situation in the Gulf remains a matter of deep concern," Jaishankar told UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in public comments broadcast before their meeting started.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

She took off the fins and untied the skipping rope and put everything back in the bin.

From "Wolfie & Fly" by Cary Fagan

"There's certainly a downside. If you saw the bins at the end of the day, it is ridiculous."

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

And the city has removed many of the huge street-corner bins where Parisians are accustomed to dropping their empty wine and beer bottles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

On a windy morning in Maine's busiest lobster port of Stonington, bearded men in orange trouser bibs sort lobsters into bins, work on their steel wire traps, or prepare their boats.

From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026

Piling dumpsters, bins and barriers in front of their schools, or carrying often humorous signs at protests, pupils have complained about absent teachers, overloaded timetables, overcrowded classes and dilapidated classrooms, among other grievances.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

So much garbage had piled up in his brief absence, Mr. Schroeder, the school janitor, had to haul it out of the building in giant rolling trash bins.

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

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

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

Disposable sanitary pads are the most commonly used period product - they stick into your underwear, absorb blood externally and are wrapped and binned after use.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2025

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

Lives are being put at risk because of refuse fires sparked by people incorrectly binning their batteries and electrical goods in household waste, a union boss has warned.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

"Together, we pioneered the trio binning method for genome assembly. This approach was also published in Nature Communications."

From Science Daily ● Jan. 12, 2026

She added: "For too long, they've been stifled by clunky, outdated rules. We're binning them, to protect pavement pints, al fresco dining and street parties - not just for the summer, but all year round."

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2025

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

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