trash

American  

[trash] / træʃ /

noun

1. anything worthless, useless, or discarded; rubbish.

2. foolish or pointless ideas, talk, or writing; nonsense.

3. a worthless or disreputable person.

4. such persons collectively.

5. literary or artistic material of poor or inferior quality.

   Synonyms:

   tripe, rubbish, twaddle, hogwash, rot, drivel

6. broken or torn bits, as twigs, splinters, rags, or the like.

7. something that is broken or lopped off from anything in preparing it for use.

8. the refuse of sugarcane after the juice has been expressed.

9. Computers. an icon of a trash can that is used to delete files dragged onto it.

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verb (used with object)

1. Slang. to destroy, damage, or vandalize, as in anger or protest.

   The slovenly renters had trashed the house.

2. to condemn, dismiss, or criticize as worthless.

   The article trashed several recent best-sellers.

3. to remove the outer leaves of (a growing sugarcane plant).

4. to free from superfluous twigs or branches.

trash ¹ British  

/ træʃ /

noun

1. foolish ideas or talk; nonsense

2. useless or unwanted matter or objects

3. a literary or artistic production of poor quality

4. a poor or worthless person or a group of such people

5. bits that are broken or lopped off, esp the trimmings from trees or plants

6. the dry remains of sugar cane after the juice has been extracted

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verb

1. to remove the outer leaves and branches from (growing plants, esp sugar cane)

2. slang to attack or destroy (someone or something) wilfully or maliciously

trash ² British  

/ træʃ /

verb

1. (tr) to restrain with or as if with a lead

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noun

1. a lead for a dog

Other Word Forms

• trashery noun

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”

Example Sentences

The day after she was sacked, her official portrait was thrown in the trash at the very building that had been her domain.

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026

The massive event is expected to require an array of services, including trash pickup, bus service, street closures, park maintenance, drinking water stations and building inspections of temporary Olympic structures.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

But Bastian lives by the Henry Ford line, and whether he’s looking up at the future Sky Villages or looking down for trash, he doesn’t see defeat — he sees unrealized potential.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

She discovered that her boyfriend did more dishes—but she took out the trash more often and did more cleaning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

“I’ve pulled bites of this out of the trash from the finest human dens.”

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Related Words

• debris
• droppings
• junk
• litter
• residue
• rubbish
• rubble
• sediment
• waste