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

New waste licencing rules will be laid out this week aimed at stopping waste carriers from exploiting loopholes and illegally dumping rubbish in England, the government has said.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

By Sunday morning the rubbish strewn streets had been largely cleared up and traffic lights which were damaged by fans climbing on them were being repaired.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

From afar, Chile's Tiltil landfill almost resembles just another mountain, but the growing rubbish pile has created a daily nightmare of odors, flies and health concerns for residents nearby.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

Under Ceaușescu “the clothes shops looked like rubbish dumps,” the clothes themselves smelling of “mud” and “axle grease.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Monday morning was blue and white, and everything was blowing: cumulus clouds, bare branches, scraps of rubbish.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

Related Words

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