ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bin

n. countable
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈbɪn// UK //bˈɪn// bin Archaic Dialect General-service Informal Slang

n. a container where you put things you do not want anymore, like trash or recycling. In British English, it is the standard word for a trash can.

n. a container for waste or for storing bulk items. Common in British English as the standard term for a refuse container; in American English, often refers to large storage containers or industrial receptacles.


SIMPLE

Please put your empty bottle in the recycling bin.

CONTEXTUAL

The office manager placed a small blue bin under every desk to encourage staff to recycle paper.

COMPLEX

After the festival ended, the cleaning crew spent hours emptying every overflowing bin and sorting the discarded materials into compost and landfill.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English bynne, from Old English binn (“crib, manger”), from Late Latin benna or a Celtic language, possibly Proto-Brythonic benn (“cart, carriage”) (whence Middle Welsh benn, Old Breton benn (“caisson”), modern Welsh ben), from Proto-Celtic bend(n)ā (whence Gaulish benna). Compare German Benne (“wheelbarrow”) and Middle Dutch benne (“basket”), whence modern Dutch ben and as a borrowing, West Frisian bin (both "wicker basket").

Etymology 2

From Arabic بِن (bin, “son”).

Etymology 3

Contraction of being.

Etymology 4

Pronunciation spelling of been.

Etymology 5

Clipping of binary.

Usage

Commonly used in British English where American English prefers 'trash can' or 'garbage can'.

© 2026 English Reference