rubble

[ ruhb-uhl or, for 3, 4, roo-buhl ]
/ ˈrʌb əl or, for 3, 4, ˈru bəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR rubble ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

broken bits and pieces of anything, as that which is demolished: Bombing reduced the town to rubble.
any solid substance, as ice, in irregularly broken pieces.
rough fragments of broken stone, formed by geological processes, in quarrying, etc., and sometimes used in masonry.
masonry built of rough fragments of broken stone.

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Origin of rubble

1350–1400; Middle English rubel, robil< ?; cf. rubbish

Words nearby rubble

rubbing alcohol, rubbish, rubbish bin, rubbishy, rubbity, rubble, rubblework, rubbly, Rubbra, rubby, rubdown
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to rubble

debris, fill, scree, brash

Example sentences from the Web for rubble

British Dictionary definitions for rubble

rubble
/ (ˈrʌbəl) /

noun

fragments of broken stones, bricks, etc
any fragmented solid material, esp the debris from ruined buildings
quarrying the weathered surface layer of rock
Also called: rubblework masonry constructed of broken pieces of rock, stone, etc

Derived forms of rubble

rubbly, adjective

Word Origin for rubble

C14 robyl; perhaps related to Middle English rubben to rub, or to rubbish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012