rubble

[ ruhb-uhl roo-buhl ]

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

/ 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 calledrubblework masonry constructed of broken pieces of rock, stone, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈrubbly, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rubble¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of rubble¹

C14 robyl ; perhaps related to Middle English rubben to rub, or to rubbish

Example Sentences

He envisions snake bots slithering through earthquake rubble to search for survivors.

From Science News For Students

He envisions snake bots slithering through earthquake rubble to search for survivors or wriggling inside large machinery to perform inspections.

From Science News

China just scooped up some rubble from the moon and should be bringing those materials back to Earth in just a few days.

From MIT Technology Review

That’s precisely the goal come October 20, when OSIRIS-REx will plunge down toward the surface of the asteroid and attempt to scoop up some rubble and dust from the surface.

From MIT Technology Review

That might seem like a hassle, but it would be a small price to pay to get some rubble from a rock 200 million miles away.

From MIT Technology Review

Pages from the Quran fluttered in the air before landing gently on the rubble.

From The Daily Beast

And there are a few nice things buried beneath the rubble that I could use in my apartment.

From The Daily Beast

If we enter with hammer in hand, we may leave with merely dust and rubble on our faces.

From The Daily Beast

Within 10 seconds, his target vanishes in a muted cloud of smoke and rubble 7,000 miles away.

From The Daily Beast

They broke off into groups of a dozen and got to work collecting bricks and salvageable materials from the rubble.

From The Daily Beast

It is a common practice in erecting buildings with a facing of Kentish rag rubble to back up the stonework with bricks.

From Project Gutenberg

The rais house was a typical sample of the ordinary mountain cabin; walled with rough stone rubble, and floored with beaten earth.

From Project Gutenberg

A bright glow shone on the rubble within, and smoke and sparks came merrily from the chimney.

From Project Gutenberg

Suddenly the wheels jolted on a rubble of loose stones; the carriage was swung sideways.

From Project Gutenberg

As noted above, these streams are normally clear, swift and have steep gradients and many rubble and gravel riffles.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• debris