trash

[trash]

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.

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

/ 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

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

/ træʃ /

verb

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

noun

1. a lead for a dog

Other Word Forms

• trashery noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of trash¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of trash¹

C16: of obscure origin; perhaps related to Norwegian trask

Origin of trash²

C17: perhaps from obsolete French tracier to track, _trace ¹

Example Sentences

Since AWS systems were down this week for at least 15 hours, or 900 minutes, it effectively tossed that standard in the trash.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Goldman Sachs pointed out in a recent report that a basket of heavily shorted stocks, often considered the trashiest of the trash, had surged 24% in just the past month.

Read more on Barron's

They were outscored 18-4 at the start of the second half, sending the crowd into a coma and the game toward the trash until they surged back within six in the final minutes.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He’d be a trash man in too deep his whole life.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Deputies discovered the trashed mail near Elder Creek and Mayhew Roads in Sacramento County while conducting a cleanup of a reported homeless encampment, officials said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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