ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dump

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈdəmp// UK //dˈʌmp// dump Archaic General-service Humorous Informal Slang Vulgar

n. a place where people take their trash to leave it. It is also a slang word for a house or room that is very messy or ugly.

n. a site for depositing rubbish or waste material. In informal register, it refers to an unpleasant, dilapidated, or poorly maintained location.


SIMPLE

We took the old sofa to the city dump.

CONTEXTUAL

I cannot believe he pays so much rent for that apartment; it is a total dump.

COMPLEX

The local council faced significant public backlash after proposing a new chemical dump within five miles of the protected wetlands.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English dumpen, dompen, probably from Old Norse dumpa (“to thump”) (whence Danish dumpe (“to fall suddenly”)), of uncertain origin, possibly imitative of falling, similar to thump.

Etymology 2

See dumpling.

Etymology 3

Cognate with Scots dump (“hole in the ground”), Norwegian dump (“a depression or hole in the ground”), German Low German dumpen (“to submerge”), Dutch dompen (“to dip, sink, submerge”).

Usage

Often used with the definite article ('the dump') when referring to a specific local waste facility.

Idioms1 entry

© 2026 English Reference