trash
Americannoun
-
trash
plural
-
anything worthless, useless, or discarded; rubbish.
-
foolish or pointless ideas, talk, or writing; nonsense.
-
a worthless or disreputable person.
-
such persons collectively.
-
literary or artistic material of poor or inferior quality.
-
broken or torn bits, as twigs, splinters, rags, or the like.
-
something that is broken or lopped off from anything in preparing it for use.
-
the refuse of sugarcane after the juice has been expressed.
-
Computers. an icon of a trash can that is used to delete files dragged onto it.
verb (used with object)
-
trashes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
trashed,
past participle, past
-
trashing
present participle
-
Slang. to destroy, damage, or vandalize, as in anger or protest.
The slovenly renters had trashed the house.
-
to condemn, dismiss, or criticize as worthless.
The article trashed several recent best-sellers.
-
to remove the outer leaves of (a growing sugarcane plant).
-
to free from superfluous twigs or branches.
noun
-
foolish ideas or talk; nonsense
-
useless or unwanted matter or objects
-
a literary or artistic production of poor quality
-
a poor or worthless person or a group of such people
-
bits that are broken or lopped off, esp the trimmings from trees or plants
-
the dry remains of sugar cane after the juice has been extracted
verb
-
to remove the outer leaves and branches from (growing plants, esp sugar cane)
-
slang to attack or destroy (someone or something) wilfully or maliciously
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
trashsimple
-
trashessimple
-
have trashedperfect
-
has trashedperfect
-
am trashingprogressive
-
are trashingprogressive
-
is trashingprogressive
-
have been trashingperfect progressive
-
has been trashingperfect progressive
Past
-
trashedsimple
-
had trashedperfect
-
was trashingprogressive
-
were trashingprogressive
-
had been trashingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of trash
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English trasches (plural), apparently cognate with Norwegian trask “rubbish”; akin to Old English trus “brushwood,” Old Norse tros “rubbish”
Explanation
Trash is rubbish or garbage — it's the stuff that gets thrown away. Your town might organize a clean-up day each year when people pick up trash in parks and neighborhoods. Trash is dirty, worthless, leftover debris. Fittingly, the word is also a terribly derogatory term for useless, low-status people: "I should've known you were nothing but trash." And to trash talk is to brutally criticize or gossip about someone. You can even use trash as a verb, to mean "throw away," as in, "I'm going to trash this trash in that trash can over there."
Vocabulary lists containing trash
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.
See Examples For:
New York City handles nearly 3 million tons of trash a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Typically when I move to a new place, the red-and-blue-striped envelope from the post office confirming my new address goes directly from the mailbox into the trash.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Sanitation crews cleared the streets and sidewalks of trash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
The first time he decided to trash one of the cameras, a self-styled vigilante wearing all black and known as Nomark says he was "super nervous."
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
There are cracks in the kitchen backsplash, a trash chute that won’t open, and the distinct scent of cat litter.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Only firms in desperate need of cash sell more shares when their valuations are low, because it dilutes existing shareholders and trashes the share price.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
The former insurance executive trashes five days a week, and hikes in the Santa Susana Mountains every Friday afternoon with several volunteers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2025
An attorney who trashes the rule of law must know that eventually she will be barred from practicing it.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2025
Spawned when the body trashes old red blood cells, the molecule is harmful refuse and a sign of illness.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 8, 2023
Because it robs everything from another place the city causes trouble for others, and trashes the Earth is the process.
From Down with the Cities by Tadashi Nakashima
The worst ones seem to happen during bear markets, when the winning stocks of the preceding boom get trashed.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
"Right now the brand of AI has just been trashed and this certainly doesn't help," she said - noting widespread mistrust of the tech, particularly among young people.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
One of the most staggering is simply pollution: a jungle riverbank heaped with trashed tires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
Unlike other defectors, he had never sued the Tour, nor had he trashed it in public.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
Seeing as I’d just trashed her future kid’s father, I didn’t feel like I could say no.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
So to perhaps the result that ended Bazball in the minds of many, even if not in reality: An Ashes trashing in Australia.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Even Scott Jennings, the foul-mouthed Kentuckian with a habit of picking Derby losers and rumored to occasionally sip Tennessee whiskey instead of Kentucky bourbon, has been caught trashing the president — off camera.
From Salon ● May 8, 2026
Has he not read Dr. Prasad’s academic papers trashing drugs whose trials don’t meet his trial standards?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
"Scientists trashing each other in the media is not constructive."
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
He told us he almost felt sorry for the software salesmen when he handed them the bill, which didn’t even include the hefty fine from the park service for trashing the sea grass.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
