trash

1 of 2

noun

1
: something worth little or nothing: such as
a
: things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown away : junk, rubbish
b(1)
: inferior or worthless writing or artistic matter (such as a television show)
especially : such matter intended purely for sensational entertainment
(2)
(3)
: empty talk : nonsense
2
: a worthless person
also : such persons as a group : riffraff
3
: something in a crumbled or broken condition or mass
especially : debris from pruning or processing plant material

trash

2 of 2

verb

trashed; trashing; trashes

transitive verb

1
: throw away sense 1
standards of reality and truth were trashedEdwin Diamond
2
3
4
: spoil, ruin
trashing the environment
5
: to subject to criticism or invective
especially : to disparage strongly
a film trashed by the critics

intransitive verb

: to trash something or someone

Examples of trash in a Sentence

Noun Take out the trash, please. I put the dirty diaper in the trash. I can't believe you're reading that trash. She thinks that they're all trash. Verb a computer program that trashes useless files The vacuum cleaner couldn't be fixed, so I trashed it. The apartment had been trashed. He says that the government's policies are trashing the environment.
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.
Noun
That beat the alternative of having people walk up and down the trails with heavy bags of trash, said Steve Lozano, deputy chief of the Fire-Rescue Department. Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025 Videos of the scene show the parking lot riddled with massive piles of trash and one of the campers engulfed in flames. Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Verb
Unruly tourists have caused traffic jams and public commotions, offended local sensibilities, trashed the environment, and desecrated sacred sites. Chad De Guzman, Time, 28 Mar. 2025 The motion added that eventually the woman’s home was sold and her belongings trashed — including her family Bible and her husband’s flag commemorating his military service with the Tuskegee Airmen. Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for trash

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English trasch fallen leaves and twigs, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect trask rubbish; Old Norse tros fallen leaves and twigs, Old English trus

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1902, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of trash was circa 1529

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trash. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

trash

noun
ˈtrash
1
: something of little or no value: as
b
: silly or worthless talk or works (as books)
2
: a low or worthless person
also : such persons as a group : rabble sense 2
trashy
ˈtrash-ē
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on trash

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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