rubbish

[ ruhb-ish ]

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

rubbish

/ ˈrʌbɪʃ /

noun

1. worthless, useless, or unwanted matter
2. discarded or waste matter; refuse
3. foolish words or speech; nonsense

verb

1. informal.
   tr to criticize; attack verbally

Word History and Origins

Origin of rubbish¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of rubbish¹

C14 robys , of uncertain origin

Idioms and Phrases

see good riddance (to bad rubbish) .

Example Sentences

Plastic rubbish in the oceans also ensnares birds, turtles and other wildlife.

From Science News For Students

Science, by comparison, is “full of things that sound like complete rubbish” but turn out to work remarkably well—for example, neural nets, he says.

From MIT Technology Review

Publishers print stacks of rubbish – “Beach Reading” – for your sake.

From The Daily Beast

The actor has since denied involvement in the projects, calling rumors to the contrary “rubbish.”

From The Daily Beast

As he advanced his, eyebrows contracted, and his lips seemed to form the word “rubbish.”

From The Daily Beast

People ought to know that if they stuff themselves silly with high-calorie, rubbish foods they will get fat.

From The Daily Beast

It's complete rubbish from the outside, and on a day like this it's going to look even worse.

From The Daily Beast

Presently, one of the foremen or overlookers saw it, and wanted to know what all that rubbish had been put there for.

From Project Gutenberg

And now, Monsieur Pujol,” said he impudently, “I am willing to sell you this rubbish for the cheque.

From Project Gutenberg

She hugged him, wheel and all, and began turning over the rubbish with great delight.

From Project Gutenberg

To tell the truth, Henry had found a few things in the rubbish which he had stored in his own pocket.

From Project Gutenberg

And more than one broken flask on its way to the rubbish heap was carefully carried up the hill to the hidden family.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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

More About Rubbish

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.

Where does rubbish come from?

The first records of the term rubbish come from around 1350. It is thought to come from the Middle English rubbes, as does rubble. Rubbish usually refers to smaller particles of trash, while rubble describes large pieces of debris, such as chunks of masonry after a building has been demolished.

When rubbish is used figuratively to criticize something, it frequently refers to text or speech, as in That article is utter rubbish. But it can also refer to a piece of media as in, That film was rubbish. Rubbish is used more commonly in the United Kingdom than in the United States or other English-speaking nations, although it is still used worldwide in moderation.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to rubbish?

• rubbishy (adjective)

What are some synonyms for rubbish?

• garbage
• trash
• waste
• gibberish
• nonsense

What are some words that share a root or word element with rubbish? 

• rubble
• rubbish bin

What are some words that often get used in discussing rubbish?

• hogwash
• poppycock
• rummage
• barrel

How is rubbish used in real life?

Rubbish is a commonly used word to mean either trash or nonsense.

sometimes the only solution to a rubbish day is going home to eat a lot of chocolate and climbing into bed

— M A R I N A (@MarinaDiamandis) January 25, 2019

Somebody bought a lotto ticket and thought he put it in the bin then spent 15 mins sifting through rubbish and found it in his pocket (me)

— Phil Lester (@AmazingPhil) January 8, 2016

Rubbish decision to send off Mané. Rubbish.

— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) September 9, 2017

 

 

Try using rubbish!

Is rubbish used correctly in the following sentence?

These decisions the mayor keeps making are absolute rubbish.