rubbish

American  

[ruhb-ish] / ˈrʌb ɪʃ /

noun

1. worthless, unwanted material that is rejected or thrown out; debris; litter; trash.

2. nonsense, as in writing or art.

   sentimental rubbish.

   Synonyms:

   bosh, drivel, balderdash, rot

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rubbish British  

/ ˈrʌbɪʃ /

noun

1. worthless, useless, or unwanted matter

2. discarded or waste matter; refuse

3. foolish words or speech; nonsense

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verb

1. informal (tr) to criticize; attack verbally

rubbish Idioms  

1. see good riddance (to bad rubbish).

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Usage

What is rubbish? Rubbish is unwanted material, such as something you throw into a waste barrel, like a banana peel. Rubbish is also something that is considered nonsense and not worth anything, like an idea or a piece of art. In Australia and New Zealand, rubbish can mean to criticize or verbally attack. It’s often used informally. Example: Make sure you clean up all this rubbish before you leave tonight.

Etymology

Origin of rubbish

1350–1400; Middle English rubbes, rob ( b ) ous < ?; cf. rubble

Explanation

Rubbish is a synonym for garbage or trash. The word is more commonly used by speakers of British English than by speakers of American English. The noun rubbish also means writing or speech that is worthless, untrue, or nonsense, especially in British English. Your teacher might tell you that your paper thesis is a load of rubbish if it states that Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt were aliens sent from another planet to "fix" World War II. In British slang, rubbish is also a verb that means to criticize strongly. Don't be surprised when the professor rubbishes your paper — he's a well-known Churchill scholar.

Example Sentences

An Australian billionaire's plan to burn rubbish for energy in Fiji amounts to "waste colonialism" and risks spoiling a "beach paradise", villagers and the Pacific nation's UN ambassador said.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

The bird was discovered by airport police near terminal one after being spotted perched on a rubbish bin.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

Van Wolfwinkle, real name Phil Heckels, has dubbed it "rubbish".

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

The two localities, home to about 40,000 people, decided to take radical action around 25 years ago after predictions that their communal rubbish dump would be full by 2004.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Then he threw the rest of the newspaper onto the rubbish pile and turned to face the room.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• debris
• junk
• lumber
• rubble
• trash
• waste