rubble
Americannoun
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broken bits and pieces of anything, as that which is demolished.
Bombing reduced the town to rubble.
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any solid substance, as ice, in irregularly broken pieces.
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rough fragments of broken stone, formed by geological processes, in quarrying, etc., and sometimes used in masonry.
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masonry built of rough fragments of broken stone.
noun
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fragments of broken stones, bricks, etc
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any fragmented solid material, esp the debris from ruined buildings
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quarrying the weathered surface layer of rock
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Also called: rubblework. masonry constructed of broken pieces of rock, stone, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rubble
1350–1400; Middle English rubel, robil < ?; cf. rubbish
Explanation
The pile of crumbled debris that's left over after something breaks or collapses is rubble. Famous scenes of rubble include the fallen Twin Towers on September 11 and the remains of the Haitian capital after the 2010 earthquake. Rubble rhymes with "bubble," but when a bubble bursts, it just dissolves into liquid, while rubble is piles of rock, concrete, brick, and other remains that are a very physical reminder of destruction. Rock slides create rubble from rocks, and natural disasters and explosions create rubble from buildings, cars, and trees. Unfortunately, rubble is usually heavy and can trap people or things beneath it, as when bodies are found in the rubble of a fire or earthquake.
Vocabulary lists containing rubble
"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury (1950)
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Milkweed
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"The End and the Beginning," Vocabulary from the poem
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Tents set up amid the rubble of collapsed hospitals are serving as makeshift emergency rooms for injured patients.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Two people were known to be trapped alive under rubble in the neighbouring Manggarai regency after the 7.7-magnitude jolt.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
Landslides, however, did block access to some villages but the experienced rescue teams worked tirelessly through the day to free those trapped under the rubble.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
"Cracks have appeared, elements such as ledges, rubble and walls have fallen and damage has been reported in some buildings," Andalusian emergency services said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
This strange place was a nightmare, a wasteland of rubble covered with brown slime.
From "I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919" by Lauren Tarshis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
