landfill

American  

[land-fil] / ˈlændˌfɪl /

noun

• landfills
  plural

1. a low area of land that is built up from deposits of solid refuse in layers covered by soil.

2. the solid refuse itself.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to create more usable land by this means.

verb (used with object)

1. to make (an area of land) by means of a landfill.

2. to use in a landfill.

   to landfill millions of tons of garbage each year.

landfill British  

/ ˈlændˌfɪl /

noun

1. 1. disposal of waste material by burying it under layers of earth

   2. ( as modifier )

      landfill sites

---

landfill Scientific  

/ lănd′fĭl′ /

1. A disposal site where solid waste, such as paper, glass, and metal, is buried between layers of dirt and other materials in such a way as to reduce contamination of the surrounding land. Modern landfills are often lined with layers of absorbent material and sheets of plastic to keep pollutants from leaking into the soil and water.

2. Also called sanitary landfill

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• landfills
  plural

Etymology

Origin of landfill

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; land + fill

Explanation

A landfill is a pit that is covered with dirt after being filled with waste of some kind. Some landfills are filled in with rocks for the specific purpose of raising the earth and building something on it. Garbage dumps are often called landfills, even when they're not literal pits that are filled and covered, and while "hole full of trash" might be your first thought when you hear the word, landfills are often simply a way of solidifying the ground for building. Many port cities, including Boston and Portland, Maine, have entire neighborhoods, once just areas covered in water, that were built on landfills.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

landfill landfills

It tested every combination of recycling, landfill, incineration and anaerobic digestion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

The agency gets the images within 48 hours, then sends out notices to landfill and oil and gas operators when methane is seen escaping.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

She added: "That makes all these problems much easier to solve. It reduces the expense for households, it makes it easier to meet the landfill ban and it reduces the need for incineration."

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

She acknowledged a need for "sufficient strategic landfill capacity" to be available during the transition process while some materials cannot yet be recycled or reused.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

He was fat, with a white beard that had turned yellow, kind of like Santa Claus, if Santa had been rolled out of bed and dragged through a landfill.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

Daimler Truck’s North America business has tested on-highway trucks for the U.S. market, while Caterpillar’s autonomous and remote-controlled bulldozers are already in use at some landfills.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

The company said landfills, where operations are typically predictable and monotonous, are ideal for automated equipment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

Food waste has been hauled to at least four landfills, including Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center in Ventura County and El Sobrante Landfill in Riverside County.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Other major sources include methane from livestock such as cattle, deforestation, industrial activity, and waste from sources including landfills.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

During this period, plastic increasingly filled landfills and oceans while its production—up to 8 million tons annually by 2020—contributed to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

• depot
• junkyard