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trash

n. · v.
US //ˈtɹæʃ// UK //tɹˈæʃ// trash
  1. 1 rubbish or waste (n.)
    A2 Elementary American English

    things that you throw away because you do not want or need them anymore.

    discarded matter or refuse; the standard North American term for household waste.

    Example

    Please take the trash out to the bin before you go to bed.

    Example

    The city council implemented a new recycling initiative to reduce the volume of household trash sent to local landfills each year.

    Usage

    Usually uncountable when referring to the waste itself.
  2. 2 a waste container (n.)
    A2 Elementary American English

    a container or bin where you put things you want to throw away.

    a receptacle for waste; often used metonymically for the bin itself.

    Example

    I threw the empty candy wrapper into the trash.

    Example

    He searched through the office trash for the discarded memo, hoping it hadn't been emptied by the cleaning crew yet.
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  1. 3 something worthless (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal

    something that is of very poor quality, like a bad book or movie.

    something considered worthless, inferior, or of poor quality; often used to describe media or art.

    Example

    That movie was absolute trash; I want my money back.

    Example

    Critics dismissed the novel as commercial trash, though it remained at the top of the bestseller list for several months.
  2. 4 deleted files (n.)
    B1 Intermediate American English Computing

    a place on a computer where files go after you delete them.

    a digital folder or temporary storage area for files marked for deletion.

    Example

    If you accidentally deleted the photo, check the trash on your desktop.

    Example

    The system is configured to automatically empty the trash every thirty days to free up storage space on the hard drive.
    • recycle bin
  3. 5 to damage or destroy (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    to damage or ruin a place or thing, often on purpose.

    to damage, vandalise, or completely ruin a physical space or object.

    Example

    The hotel room was trashed after the wild party.

    Example

    Vandals broke into the community centre overnight and trashed the main hall, breaking furniture and spraying paint on the walls.
  4. 6 to criticise harshly (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    to say very bad things about someone or something.

    to criticise or disparage someone or something severely.

    Example

    The critics trashed his new play in the morning newspapers.

    Example

    It is unprofessional to trash your former employer during a job interview, regardless of how the relationship ended.
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”).

Word family
Idioms6 entries

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