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 < ?; rubble

Example Sentences

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

Councillors are responsible for local services including providing social care and rubbish collections.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Council tax covers a variety of services, from rubbish collections to providing social care for vulnerable adults and children, and it is one of the biggest bills households face.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

In others AFP found rubbish piled up at the entrance.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

I scrub at the caked rubbish so hard it feels like my skin is flaking off, but I'm glad to be getting cleaner.

From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman

Related Words

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