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Synonyms

garbage can

American  

noun

  1. a container, usually of metal or plastic, for the disposal of waste matter, especially kitchen refuse.

garbage can British  

noun

  1. Also called: ash bin.   ash can.   trash can.   dustbin.  a large, usually cylindrical container for refuse, esp one used by a household

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

People snow skiing down Bourbon Street in New Orleans, garbage can lids and plastic baby pools used as makeshift sleds, snowmen on the beach; it was something out of this world.

From Salon • Jan. 29, 2025

He recently referred to the U.S. as a whole as “a dumping ground,” saying, “We’re like a garbage can for the world.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2024

I’d hide forbidden foods in the garbage can in my bedroom.

From Slate • Jul. 20, 2024

I looked into a garbage can and saw a couple of limp chicks inside.

From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata

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.