gar ‧ bage S3 /ˈɡɑːbɪdʒ $ ˈɡɑːr-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Anglo-French ]
1 . especially American English waste material, such as paper, empty containers, and food thrown away SYN rubbish British English :
Can you take out the garbage when you go?
2 . stupid words, ideas etc SYN rubbish British English :
You’re talking garbage.
3 . garbage in, garbage out used to say that if the ↑ data (=information) you put into a computer is bad, the results you get back will be bad, even if the computer program you use works properly
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THESAURUS
▪ rubbish especially British English things that people throw away, such as old food, dirty paper etc:
People are being encouraged to recycle their household rubbish.
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the rubbish bin
▪ garbage/trash American English rubbish:
The garbage is collected every Tuesday.
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There were piles of trash in the backyard.
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a black plastic garbage bag
▪ refuse formal rubbish:
The strike has disrupted refuse collection.
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It’s a site which is used for domestic refuse.
▪ litter empty bottles, pieces of paper etc that people have dropped on the ground:
Parents should teach children not to drop litter.
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There was a lot of litter on the beach.
▪ waste rubbish, or materials that need to be dealt with after they have been used in industrial processes:
nuclear waste
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toxic waste
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household waste
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The company was fined for dumping toxic waste in the sea.