rubble

American  

[ruhb-uhl, roo-buhl] / ˈrʌb əl, ˈru bəl /

noun

1. broken bits and pieces of anything, as that which is demolished.

   Bombing reduced the town to rubble.

2. any solid substance, as ice, in irregularly broken pieces.

3. rough fragments of broken stone, formed by geological processes, in quarrying, etc., and sometimes used in masonry.

4. masonry built of rough fragments of broken stone.

---

rubble British  

/ ˈrʌbəl /

noun

1. fragments of broken stones, bricks, etc

2. any fragmented solid material, esp the debris from ruined buildings

3. quarrying the weathered surface layer of rock

4. Also called: rubblework.  masonry constructed of broken pieces of rock, stone, etc

---

Other Word Forms

• rubbly adjective

Etymology

Origin of rubble

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

Example Sentences

"Fragile is the flesh of defenceless populations, tried by so many wars, ongoing or concluded, leaving behind rubble and open wounds," said the pope.

From BBC

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday condemned the "rubble and open wounds" left behind by wars, singling out the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza as he conducted his first Christmas homily.

From Barron's

Since being bombed to rubble in World War II, the city has reinvented itself as one of Europe’s most experimental urban laboratories, with starchitect-designed towers and cultural districts built on former docklands.

From The Wall Street Journal

On Tuesday, video footage showed first responders from the Civil Defence recovering the body of a man from the rubble of a building in Shati refugee camp, north-west of Gaza City.

From BBC

They, along with the rest of my belongings and my Altadena home, were reduced to rubble in the catastrophic Eaton fire in January.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• debris