Standard Lemma guide

mullock

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Rubbish, waste matter.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, dialectal, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Mining waste or ore processing waste:

Overburden: waste material generated while searching for minerals or while mining, such as when sinking a shaft.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, New-Zealand, uncountable, usually

Topics: business, mining

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Mining waste or ore processing waste:

Tailings: waste rock from which the wanted gold, minerals, opal, etc., has been extracted.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, New-Zealand, uncountable, usually

Topics: business, mining

Examples

  • 1875, New Zealand House of Representatives, Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives of New Zealand, Volume 2, page 30, The gold, both in the quartz and mullock, is very fine, and, owing to the soft and ferruginous nature of the stuff, specks can but very rarely be seen during working.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Nonsense, rubbish.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A mess; the result of a blunder.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, Yorkshire, dialectal, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To clear waste material out of a mine.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: business, mining

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From mull + -ock.