ENGLISH
REFERENCE

trash

n. uncountable
A2 Elementary US //ˈtɹæʃ// UK //tɹˈæʃ// trash Humorous Slang Vulgar

n. things that you throw away because you do not want or need them anymore. You might also use this word to describe something of very low quality, like a bad movie.

n. discarded matter or refuse; rubbish. Often used figuratively to describe cultural products or ideas perceived as worthless or of poor quality.


SIMPLE

Please take the trash out to the bin.

CONTEXTUAL

The janitor collected the trash from every office before locking the building for the night.

COMPLEX

While critics dismissed the novel as commercial trash, it resonated deeply with a generation of readers who found its themes of isolation remarkably authentic.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English trasch, trassh, probably a dialectal form of trass (compare Orkney truss, English dialectal trous), from Old Norse tros (“rubbish, fallen leaves and twigs”), perhaps related to Proto-Germanic þrakjaz (“dirt”). Pokorny instead derives it from Proto-Indo-European *dóru (“tree”). Compare Norwegian trask (“lumber, trash, baggage”), Swedish trasa (“rag, cloth, worthless fellow”), Swedish trås (“dry fallen twigs, wood-waste”). Compare also Old English þreax (“rottenness, rubbish”).

Usage

Primarily North American in usage; equivalent to 'rubbish' in British English.

Pitfall

I have many trashes to throw awayI have a lot of trash to throw awayTrash is uncountable and does not have a plural form when referring to waste.

Idioms6 entries

© 2026 English Reference