rubbish
[ruhb-ish]
- worthless, unwanted material that is rejected or thrown out; debris; litter; trash.
- nonsense, as in writing or art: sentimental rubbish.
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Origin of rubbish
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
junktrashlumberrubbledebriswastegibberishrummagerefusescraplitterdrossoffaldregssweepingshogwashbilgehooeydrivelpoppycockExamples from the Web for rubbish
Contemporary Examples
Publishers print stacks of rubbish – “Beach Reading” – for your sake.
The actor has since denied involvement in the projects, calling rumors to the contrary “rubbish.”
As he advanced his, eyebrows contracted, and his lips seemed to form the word “rubbish.”
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the ShowRobert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014
People ought to know that if they stuff themselves silly with high-calorie, rubbish foods they will get fat.
There was rubble, half-collapsed houses, and mountains of rubbish everywhere.
Historical Examples
He began to rebuild the palace and ordered that the rubbish be removed from the temples.
Ancient ManHendrik Willem van Loon
It seemed to her that even Enoch might take the hint, and clear away his rubbish.
Tiverton TalesAlice Brown
That is all rubbish,” he said; “people ought to stick to their own country.
Mountain MeditationsL. Lind-af-Hageby
As he left the dining-room he stumbled over a heap of rubbish in the passage.
Abbe Mouret's TransgressionEmile Zola
Dirty finger-prints were on the hall-windows, flue and rubbish on its unwashed boards.
Howards EndE. M. Forster
rubbish
- worthless, useless, or unwanted matter
- discarded or waste matter; refuse
- foolish words or speech; nonsense
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- (tr) informal to criticize; attack verbally
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Word Origin
C14 robys, of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for rubbish
n.
c.1400, robous, from Anglo-French rubouses (late 14c.), of unknown origin. No apparent cognates in Old French; apparently somehow related to rubble (see OED). Spelling with -ish is from late 15c. The verb sense of "disparage, criticize harshly" is first attested 1953 in Australian and New Zealand slang. Related: Rubbished; rubbishing.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with rubbish
rubbish
see good riddance (to bad rubbish).
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.