worthless, unwanted material that is rejected or thrown out; debris; litter; trash. worthless, unwanted material that is rejected or thrown out; debris; litter; trash. nonsense, as in writing or art. sentimental rubbish. Synonyms: bosh , drivel , balderdash , rot nonsense, as in writing or art. sentimental rubbish. worthless, useless, or unwanted matter worthless, useless, or unwanted matter discarded or waste matter; refuse discarded or waste matter; refuse foolish words or speech; nonsense foolish words or speech; nonsense informal (tr) to criticize; attack verbally informal (tr) to criticize; attack verbally see good riddance (to bad rubbish). see good riddance (to bad rubbish). What is rubbish ? Rubbish is unwanted material, such as something you throw into a waste barrel, like a banana peel. Rubbish is also something that is considered nonsense and not worth anything, like an idea or a piece of art. In Australia and New Zealand, rubbish can mean to criticize or verbally attack. It’s often used informally. Example: Make sure you clean up all this rubbish before you leave tonight. Origin of rubbish 1350–1400; Middle English rubbes, rob ( b ) ous < ?; cf. rubble Rubbish is a synonym for garbage or trash. The word is more commonly used by speakers of British English than by speakers of American English. The noun rubbish also means writing or speech that is worthless, untrue, or nonsense, especially in British English. Your teacher might tell you that your paper thesis is a load of rubbish if it states that Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt were aliens sent from another planet to "fix" World War II. In British slang, rubbish is also a verb that means to criticize strongly. Don't be surprised when the professor rubbishes your paper — he's a well-known Churchill scholar. Vocabulary lists containing rubbish Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use! 50 Great Words from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time! Example Sentences Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com. See Examples For: But it also has a large residential population, who have become increasingly exasperated with tourists who fail to properly dispose of rubbish, smoke where they're not supposed to, and make too much noise. From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026 "I'd rather buy my own gift for someone I care about. I hate having to be forced to contribute to a joint collection out of some rubbish sense of obligation," she says. From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026 A giant guitar sculpture dominates the central square, guitar murals adorn walls and pavements and even the rubbish bins are shaped like guitars. From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026 "You can literally get a bowl of life-changing ramen for £3/£4 compared to a rubbish one here for like £20," says Faye Jawad, 26, who reviews restaurants on TikTok and visited Japan last year. From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026 I turned, my eyes following his path as he kicked rubbish and rocks out of his way. From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023 Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer. You'll remember them forever.