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Garbo

American  
[gahr-boh] / ˈgɑr boʊ /

noun

  1. Greta Greta Lovisa Gustaffson, 1905–90, U.S. film actress, born in Sweden.

Garbo 1 British  
/ ˈɡɑːbəʊ /

noun

  1. Greta (ˈɡrɛtə), real name Greta Lovisa Gustafson. 1905–90, US film actress, born in Sweden. Her films include Grand Hotel (1932), Queen Christina (1933), Anna Karenina (1935), Camille (1936), and Ninotchka (1939)

"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
garbo 2 British  
/ ˈɡɑːbəʊ /

noun

  1. informal a dustman

"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 garbo

C20: from garbage

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.

Having just starred opposite Marlene Dietrich for Josef von Sternberg, he would go on to appear opposite leading ladies as diverse as Greta Garbo, Claudette Colbert and Bette Davis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

At times we see the action through Pabst’s eyes; at others, from the viewpoint of his wife, Trude; his son, Jakob; the actor Greta Garbo; and the Reich envoy Kuno Krämer.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2025

In the face of so much frenzied curation and compulsory personal branding, how might a modern human maintain some iota of unshared selfhood, a soupçon of Greta Garbo mystique?

From New York Times • Mar. 9, 2024

Wool coats have broad shoulders and masculine silhouettes in the style of Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 24, 2024

They led to someplace called Garbo Mansion in the hilly part of town.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

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.