RUBBISH


Meaning of RUBBISH in English

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

• • •

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

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.