# trash

/ˈtɹæʃ/ (US) · /tɹˈæʃ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/trash
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. rubbish or waste

noun · CEFR A2 · American English

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

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

- Please take the trash out to the bin before you go to bed.
- 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. a waste container

noun · CEFR A2 · American English

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

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

- I threw the empty candy wrapper into the trash.
- He searched through the office trash for the discarded memo, hoping it hadn't been emptied by the cleaning crew yet.

### 3. something worthless

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal

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

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

- That movie was absolute trash; I want my money back.
- Critics dismissed the novel as commercial trash, though it remained at the top of the bestseller list for several months.

### 4. deleted files

noun · CEFR B1 · American English

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

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

- If you accidentally deleted the photo, check the trash on your desktop.
- The system is configured to automatically empty the trash every thirty days to free up storage space on the hard drive.

### 6. to damage or destroy

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

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

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

- The hotel room was trashed after the wild party.
- Vandals broke into the community centre overnight and trashed the main hall, breaking furniture and spraying paint on the walls.

### 7. to criticise harshly

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to say very bad things about someone or something.

For teachers: to criticise or disparage someone or something severely.

- The critics trashed his new play in the morning newspapers.
- It is unprofessional to trash your former employer during a job interview, regardless of how the relationship ended.

## Examples

- Please take the trash out to the bin.
- The janitor collected the trash from every office before locking the building for the night.
- While critics dismissed the novel as commercial trash, it resonated deeply with a generation of readers who found its themes of isolation remarkably authentic.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.