I. rub ‧ bish 1 S2 /ˈrʌbɪʃ/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable] especially British English
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Anglo-French ; Origin: rubbous , perhaps from Old French robe ; ⇨ ↑ robe ]
1 . food, paper etc that is no longer needed and has been thrown away SYN garbage , trash American English :
a rubbish bin
household rubbish
rubbish tip/dump (=a place to take rubbish)
2 . informal objects, papers etc that you no longer use and should throw away:
I’ve got so much rubbish on my desk it’s unbelievable.
3 . informal an idea, statement, etc that is rubbish is silly or wrong and does not deserve serious attention SYN nonsense , garbage American English :
You do talk rubbish sometimes.
That’s a load of rubbish.
The suggestion is absolute rubbish.
rubbish! spoken (=used to tell someone that what they have just said is completely wrong)
4 . informal a film, book etc that is rubbish is very bad:
the usual Hollywood rubbish
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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.
II. rubbish 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
British English to say something is bad or useless
III. rubbish 3 BrE AmE adjective British English informal
not skilful at a particular activity:
a rubbish team