garbage

8 synonyms and 2 antonyms for garbage, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — Waste material, especially food scraps and household rubbish, thrown away as useless.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

refuse waste

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

rubbish trash junk litter

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

scraps drivel

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

Waste material, especially food scraps and household rubbish, thrown away as useless.

“Seagulls kept tearing open the bags of garbage left beside the road.”

refuse waste rubbish trash junk litter scraps drivel

2. noun

Nonsense, or something of very poor quality.

“Don't believe everything you read online; most of it is garbage.”

Opposites

prize treasure

How to use garbage

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

garbage can garbage collector talk garbage

Etymology

Originally meant the waste parts of a butchered animal, from Anglo-Norman via Old French garber, "to clean up or refine" — the sense later widened to any rubbish.

Full origin of garbage →

Frequently asked questions

What does “garbage” mean?

The word “garbage” means waste material, especially food scraps and household rubbish, thrown away as useless.

How do you pronounce “garbage”?

“Garbage” is pronounced GAH-bihj (/ˈɡɑɹ.bɪd͡ʒ/ in IPA).

How do you use “garbage” in a sentence?

Here is “garbage” used in a sentence: “Take the garbage out before the truck comes on Tuesday.”

What part of speech is “garbage”?

“Garbage” is a noun.

Where does the word “garbage” come from?

The word “garbage” comes from Old French. Originally meant the waste parts of a butchered animal, from Anglo-Norman via Old French garber, "to clean up or refine" — the sense later widened to any rubbish.

Is “garbage” a common word?

“Garbage” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

How many meanings does “garbage” have?

“Garbage” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: waste material, especially food scraps and household rubbish, thrown away as useless.

What is the difference between garbage and trash?

In American English garbage and trash are often used interchangeably for waste thrown away as useless. Traditionally garbage refers more to food scraps and wet kitchen waste, while trash refers more to dry rubbish such as paper and packaging.

What is the difference between garbage and rubbish?

Garbage is chiefly American English, while rubbish is the usual British English word for household waste. Both refer to waste material thrown away as useless, and both can also mean nonsense.

Can garbage be used to describe poor quality or nonsense?

Yes, informally garbage means nonsense or something of very poor quality, as in "that argument is garbage" or "the film was garbage." In this sense it is a dismissive term rather than a reference to physical waste.

People also searched

waste prize refuse trash treasure junk rubbish litter drivel

Nearby words

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