dumpster

noun

dump·​ster ˈdəm(p)-stər How to pronounce dumpster (audio)
variants or less commonly Dumpster
: a large trash receptacle

Examples of dumpster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Animal lovers have expressed outrage after a sick dog was found abandoned inside a dumpster, requiring the assistance of police and animal control to save him. Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025 Actress Diane Keaton has renovated entire homes with historic tiles, and preservationists have been known to dumpster dive to save Batchelder tiles from the landfill. Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2025 In the footage, the individual pulls up to the secluded dumpster in their car and quickly dumps the cat on top of the overflowing trash receptacle. Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 13 Mar. 2025 Sibley ran and was chased by the two gunmen, who continued to fire multiple shots and cornered him near a dumpster, the video shows. Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dumpster

Word History

Etymology

dump entry 1 + -ster (originally in the trademarked name Dempster Dumpster, applied to mechanically loaded refuse containers produced by the Dempster Brothers Company of Knoxville, Tennessee)

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dumpster was in 1937

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dumpster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dumpster. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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