Standard Lemma guide

trash

noun · verb · 21 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.

  • trăsh
  • /tɹæʃ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -æʃ
  • CMU ARPABET: T R AE1 SH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Useless physical things to be discarded; rubbish; refuse.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A container into which things are discarded.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US, countable, metonymically, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: trashcan, trash can, trashbin, trash bin, garbage can, rubbish bin, bin

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Something worthless or of poor quality.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US, countable, figuratively, uncountable

Examples

  • When your life is trash, you don't have much to lose.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A dubious assertion, either for appearing untrue or for being excessively boastful.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: garbage, rubbish

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The disused stems, leaves, or vines of a crop, sometimes mixed with weeds, which will either be plowed in as green manure or be removed by raking, grazing, or burning.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Southern, US, countable, uncountable

Topics: agriculture, business, lifestyle

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Loose-leaf tobacco of a low grade, with much less commercial value than the principal grades.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: agriculture, business, lifestyle

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: scrap

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

People of low social status or class. (See, for example, white trash or Eurotrash.)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US, countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A fan who is excessively obsessed with their fandom and its fanworks.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US, humorous, slang, uncountable

Topics: lifestyle

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: stan; see also Thesaurus:fan
  • I am Harry Potter trash.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stan, admirer, aficionado, buff, connoisseur, enthusiast, devotee, maniac, fan, fanatic, fancier, fancy, fiend, freak, geek, junkie, partisan, rooter, zealot

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

Temporary storage on disk for files that the user has deleted, allowing them to be recovered if necessary.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • Drag the unwanted message to the trash.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: recycle bin

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To discard.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

To make into a mess.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US

Examples

  • The burglars trashed the house.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

verb

Meaning 12

To beat soundly in a game.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

verb

Meaning 13

To treat as trash, or worthless matter; hence, to spurn, humiliate, or disrespect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • 20 May 2018, Hadley Freeman in The Guardian, Is Meghan Markle the American the royals have needed all along? It is a British tradition for the media to celebrate an upcoming royal wedding by trashing the incoming in-laws, from Diana’s stepmother, Raine Spencer, to Kate Middleton’s Uncle Gary and his memorably named Ibizan villa, Maison de Bang Bang.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

verb

Meaning 14

To free from trash, or worthless matter; hence, to lop; to crop.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • to trash the rattoons of sugar cane

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: detrash

Antonyms: none provided

15

verb

Meaning 15

To hold back by a trash or leash, as a dog in pursuing game; hence, to retard, encumber, or restrain; to clog; to hinder vexatiously.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

16

noun

Meaning 16

an amphetamine derivative (trade name Methedrine) used in the form of a crystalline hydrochloride; used as a stimulant to the nervous system and as an appetite suppressant

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: methamphetamine, methamphetamine hydrochloride, Methedrine, meth, deoxyephedrine, chalk, chicken feed, crank, glass, ice, shabu

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: amphetamine, pep pill, upper, speed, controlled substance

17

noun

Meaning 17

nonsensical talk or writing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: folderol, rubbish, tripe, trumpery, wish-wash, applesauce, codswallop

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: drivel, garbage

18

noun

Meaning 18

worthless people

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: scum

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rabble, riffraff, ragtag, ragtag and bobtail

19

noun

Meaning 19

worthless material that is to be disposed of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rubbish, scrap

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: waste, waste material, waste matter, waste product

Narrower terms: scrap metal, debris, dust, junk, rubble, detritus, litter

20

verb

Meaning 20

express a totally negative opinion of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The critics panned the performance

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pan, tear apart

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disparage, belittle, pick at

21

verb

Meaning 21

dispose of (something useless or old)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • trash these old chairs
  • junk an old car
  • scrap your old computer

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: junk, scrap

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: discard, fling, toss, toss out, toss away, chuck out, cast aside, dispose, throw out, cast out, throw away, cast away, put away

History

Etymology

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”).

Across languages

Translations

235 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: زُبَالَة (zubāla) — things to be discarded
  • Arabic: نُفَايَات (nufāyāt) — things to be discarded
  • Arabic: قُمَامَة (qumāma) — things to be discarded
  • Arabic: مُخَلَّفَات (muḵallafāt) — things to be discarded
  • Arabic: زبالة (zebāla) — things to be discarded
  • Arabic: زبالة (zbāle) — things to be discarded
  • Armenian: աղբ (aġb) — things to be discarded
  • Belarusian: сме́цце (smjéccje) — things to be discarded
  • Belarusian: смяццё (smjaccjó) — things to be discarded
  • Belarusian: сьмяцьцё (sʹmjacʹcjó) — things to be discarded
  • Bulgarian: боклу́к (boklúk) — things to be discarded
  • Bulgarian: отпа́дъци (otpádǎci) — things to be discarded
  • Burmese: အမှိုက် (a.hmuik) — things to be discarded
  • Catalan: brossa — things to be discarded
  • Catalan: escombraries — things to be discarded
  • Chamicuro: s̈hutechi — things to be discarded
  • Cherokee: ᎤᏲ (uyo) — things to be discarded
  • Chinese Mandarin: 垃圾 (lājī, lèsè) — things to be discarded
  • Chinese Mandarin: 廢物 /废物 (fèiwù) — things to be discarded
  • Czech: odpad — things to be discarded
  • Czech: odpadky — things to be discarded
  • Czech: smetí — things to be discarded
  • Old Czech: drst — things to be discarded
  • Danish: affald — things to be discarded
  • Dutch: vuilnis — things to be discarded
  • Dutch: vuil — things to be discarded
  • Esperanto: forĵetaĵo — things to be discarded
  • Esperanto: rubo — things to be discarded
  • Estonian: rämps — things to be discarded
  • Faroese: rusk — things to be discarded
  • Finnish: roska — things to be discarded
  • Finnish: rikka — things to be discarded
  • Finnish: jäte — things to be discarded
  • French: déchet — things to be discarded
  • West-Frisian: ôffal — things to be discarded
  • Georgian: ნაგავი (nagavi) — things to be discarded
  • German: Abfall — things to be discarded
  • German: Mist — things to be discarded
  • German: Müll — things to be discarded
  • German: Unrat — things to be discarded
  • German: Güsel — things to be discarded
  • Greek: απορρίματα (aporrímata) — things to be discarded
  • Greek: σκουπίδια (skoupídia) — things to be discarded
  • Ancient Greek: φορυτός (phorutós) — things to be discarded
  • Haitian Creole: fatra — things to be discarded
  • Hebrew: זבל (zével) — things to be discarded
  • Hindi: कूड़ा (kūṛā) — things to be discarded
  • Hungarian: szemét — things to be discarded
  • Icelandic: rusl — things to be discarded
  • Indonesian: sampah — things to be discarded
  • Irish: bruscar — things to be discarded
  • Italian: spazzatura — things to be discarded
  • Italian: immondizia — things to be discarded
  • Italian: rifiuti — things to be discarded
  • Japanese: ごみ (gomi) — things to be discarded
  • Kazakh: қоқым (qoqym) — things to be discarded
  • Khmer: សំរាម (sɑmraam) — things to be discarded
  • Khmer: ឡាប់សង (lapsɑɑng) — things to be discarded
  • Korean: 쓰레기 (sseuregi) — things to be discarded
  • Korean: 오물 (omul) — things to be discarded
  • Kyrgyz: таштанды (taştandı) — things to be discarded
  • Lao: ຂຍະ (kha nya) — things to be discarded
  • Lao: ຄຸມຝອຽ (khum fǭi) — things to be discarded
  • Lao: ມູນຝອຽ (mūn fǭi) — things to be discarded
  • Lao: ສັງການ (sang kān) — things to be discarded
  • Lao: ຂີ້ເຫຍື້ອ (khī hư̄ai) — things to be discarded
  • Latin: quisquiliae — things to be discarded
  • Latin: scrūta — things to be discarded
  • Lithuanian: šiukšlė — things to be discarded
  • Macedonian: ѓубре (ǵubre) — things to be discarded
  • Macedonian: смет (smet) — things to be discarded
  • Manx: trustyr — things to be discarded
  • Māori: kapurangi — things to be discarded
  • Navajo: tsʼiilzéí — things to be discarded
  • Norwegian Bokmål: avfall — things to be discarded
  • Norwegian Bokmål: søppel — things to be discarded
  • Norwegian Bokmål: boss — things to be discarded
  • Occitan: bordilha — things to be discarded
  • Persian: زباله (zobâle) — things to be discarded
  • Persian: آشغال (âšġâl) — things to be discarded
  • Persian: خاکروبه (xâkrube) — things to be discarded
  • Plautdietsch: Schunt — things to be discarded
  • Plautdietsch: Auffaul — things to be discarded
  • Plautdietsch: Aufgank — things to be discarded
  • Polish: śmieci — things to be discarded
  • Portuguese: lixo — things to be discarded
  • Quechua: q'upa — things to be discarded
  • Romagnol: rùsco — things to be discarded
  • Romanian: lucru nevaloros — things to be discarded
  • Romanian: rebut — things to be discarded
  • Romanian: gunoi — things to be discarded
  • Romanian: rămășițe — things to be discarded
  • Romanian: reziduu — things to be discarded
  • Romanian: deșeu — things to be discarded
  • Russian: му́сор (músor) — things to be discarded
  • Serbo-Croatian: о̏тпа̄д — things to be discarded
  • Serbo-Croatian: смѐће — things to be discarded
  • Serbo-Croatian: ȍtpād — things to be discarded
  • Serbo-Croatian: smèće — things to be discarded
  • Slovak: odpad — things to be discarded
  • Slovak: odpadky — things to be discarded
  • Slovene: smet — things to be discarded
  • Lower Sorbian: wótpadki — things to be discarded
  • Lower Sorbian: wótpadanki — things to be discarded
  • Spanish: basura — things to be discarded
  • Spanish: tlazol — things to be discarded
  • Spanish: tlazole — things to be discarded
  • Spanish: clazol — things to be discarded
  • Swedish: skräp — things to be discarded
  • Tagalog: basura — things to be discarded
  • Tagalog: kalat — things to be discarded
  • Tamil: குப்பை (kuppai) — things to be discarded
  • Thai: ขยะ (kà-yà) — things to be discarded
  • Thai: กาก (gàak) — things to be discarded
  • Tibetan: ཕུང་རྫས (phung rdzas) — things to be discarded
  • Tibetan: གད་ཉིག (gad nyig) — things to be discarded
  • Tibetan: སྙིགས་མ་ (snyigs ma) — things to be discarded
  • Tok Pisin: pipia — things to be discarded
  • Turkish: çöp — things to be discarded
  • Ukrainian: сміття́ (smittjá) — things to be discarded
  • Urdu: کَچْرا (kacrā) — things to be discarded
  • Urdu: کُوڑا (kūṛā) — things to be discarded
  • Vietnamese: rác — things to be discarded
  • Welsh: sbwriel — things to be discarded
  • Yoruba: pàǹtí — things to be discarded
  • Arabic: سَلُّة الْمُهْمَلَات — container
  • Armenian: աղբաման (aġbaman) — container
  • Bulgarian: ко́шче за боклу́к (kóšče za boklúk) — container
  • Danish: affaldscontainer — container
  • Dutch: vuilnisbak — container
  • Finnish: roskakori — container
  • Finnish: jäteastia — container
  • Finnish: roskalaatikko — container
  • Finnish: roskis — container
  • Finnish: roska-astia — container
  • Finnish: paperikori — container
  • French: corbeille à papier — container
  • German: Mistkübel — container
  • German: Mülleimer — container
  • German: Papierkorb — container
  • Hebrew: פח אשפה (pakh-'ashpá) — container
  • Hindi: कूड़ेदान (kūṛedān) — container
  • Hindi: कचरा पात्र (kacrā pātra) — container
  • Italian: cassonetto — container
  • Portuguese: lixo — container
  • Portuguese: lixeira — container
  • Romanian: coș de hârtii — container
  • Slovene: smetnjak — container
  • Slovene: koš — container
  • Spanish: caneca — container
  • Spanish: papelera — container
  • Swedish: papperskorg — container
  • Tamil: தொட்டி (toṭṭi) — container
  • Tamil: குப்பைத்தொட்டி (kuppaittoṭṭi) — container
  • Armenian: աղբ (aġb) — something of poor quality
  • Armenian: զիբիլ (zibil) — something of poor quality
  • Bulgarian: боклу́к (boklúk) — something of poor quality
  • Danish: skrammel — something of poor quality
  • Dutch: prul — something of poor quality
  • Finnish: roska — something of poor quality
  • Finnish: romu — something of poor quality
  • Georgian: ნაგავი (nagavi) — something of poor quality
  • Ancient Greek: λῆρος (lêros) — something of poor quality
  • Italian: mondezza — something of poor quality
  • Italian: porcheria — something of poor quality
  • Italian: robaccia — something of poor quality
  • Korean: 개털 (gaeteol) — something of poor quality
  • Portuguese: lixo — something of poor quality
  • Portuguese: porcaria — something of poor quality
  • Russian: дрянь (drjanʹ) — something of poor quality
  • Russian: ерунда́ (jerundá) — something of poor quality
  • Russian: халту́ра (xaltúra) — something of poor quality
  • Spanish: basura — something of poor quality
  • Swedish: skräp — something of poor quality
  • Tamil: குப்பை (kuppai) — something of poor quality
  • Yiddish: שלאָק (shlok) — something of poor quality
  • Armenian: թափթփուկ (tʻapʻtʻpʻuk) — people of low social status or class
  • Finnish: roskaväki — people of low social status or class
  • Finnish: roskajoukko — people of low social status or class
  • German: Bodensatz (der Gesellschaft) — people of low social status or class
  • German: Unterschicht — people of low social status or class
  • Italian: feccia — people of low social status or class
  • Korean: 개털 (gaeteol) — people of low social status or class
  • Portuguese: lixo — people of low social status or class
  • Portuguese: escória — people of low social status or class
  • Portuguese: gentalha — people of low social status or class
  • Russian: отро́дье (otródʹje) — people of low social status or class
  • Russian: отре́бье (otrébʹje) — people of low social status or class
  • Russian: шваль (švalʹ) — people of low social status or class
  • Spanish: basura — people of low social status or class
  • Spanish: escoria — people of low social status or class
  • Danish: papirkurv — computer terminology
  • Finnish: roskakori — computer terminology
  • French: corbeille — computer terminology
  • Galician: papeleira — computer terminology
  • German: Papierkorb — computer terminology
  • Italian: cestino — computer terminology
  • Luxembourgish: Poubelle — computer terminology
  • Portuguese: lixeira — computer terminology
  • Portuguese: reciclagem — computer terminology
  • Russian: корзи́на (korzína) — computer terminology
  • Russian: му́сорная корзи́на (músornaja korzína) — computer terminology
  • Spanish: papelera — computer terminology
  • Swedish: papperskorg — computer terminology
  • Ukrainian: ко́шик (kóšyk) — computer terminology
  • Bulgarian: изхвърлям (izhvǎrljam) — to discard
  • Finnish: heittää pois — to discard
  • Finnish: heittää roskiin — to discard
  • Finnish: heittää menemään — to discard
  • Finnish: hävittää — to discard
  • German: wegwerfen — to discard
  • Italian: scartare — to discard
  • Portuguese: jogar fora — to discard
  • Swedish: slänga — to discard
  • Swedish: kasta bort — to discard
  • Tok Pisin: tromwe — to discard
  • Bulgarian: разхвърлям (razhvǎrljam) — to make into a mess
  • Finnish: sotkea — to make into a mess
  • Norwegian: ramponere — to make into a mess
  • Dutch: kapotmaken — to beat soundly
  • Dutch: stukslaan — to beat soundly
  • Finnish: löylyttää — to beat soundly
  • Finnish: rökittää — to beat soundly
  • Finnish: hakata — to beat soundly
  • German: verhauen — to beat soundly
  • Finnish: halveksia — to disrespect
  • Finnish: heittää pois — to free from trash, or worthless matter
  • Finnish: heittää roskiin — to free from trash, or worthless matter
  • Finnish: heittää menemään — to free from trash, or worthless matter
  • Finnish: karsia — to free from trash, or worthless matter
  • Finnish: siivota — to free from trash, or worthless matter
  • Finnish: ylenkatsoa — to treat as trash
  • Finnish: halventaa — to treat as trash
  • Finnish: pitää kytkettynä — to hold back by a trash or leash
  • Finnish: pitää lieassa — to hold back by a trash or leash
Real reading context

trash in complete knowledge articles