garbage collector
4
2.1
- noun
- /ˈɡɑːrbɪdʒ kəˈlɛktər/
- US
:
recolector de basura
- The city hires a garbage collector to remove waste from neighborhoods every week.
- garbage collector picks
Like we were we were we were filming the pilot episode in the in the mountains of Asheville, NC and with heavy hill, the trash man, a garbage collector.
- Like we were we were we were filming the pilot episode in the in the mountains of Asheville, NC and with heavy hill, the trash man, a garbage collector.
Examples
-
If she truly loves you, she'll love you whether you're a novelist or a garbage collector.
-
August 27, 2012 - James Johnson's father was a garbage collector.
Blog text (32) -
My fifth job was as a garbage collector.
-
This man, once the captain of his own boat, now worked two jobs: one as a garbage collector and the other as a newspaper delivery guy.
Blog text (22) -
Why does anybody get up at five o'clock in the morning to watch the garbage collectors?
-
There are some students who would be better off in some kind of vocational program to train them to be garbage collectors.
Blog text (13) -
I enjoy talking to the garbage collector, the mailman, and making small talk with the meter reader and taxi driver.
Fiction book (1998) -
People from all walks of life joined in, from garbage collectors to physicians, carrying signs that said, "Stop hitting the weakest."
Blog text (20) -
This week in Lima, the garbage collectors have walked off the job; nothing new, but the vulture raises eyebrows.
Fiction book (1991) -
Working with the city's Department of the Environment and Recology, the city's garbage collector, Lee has been pushing residents, businesses, and industry to reduce, reuse, recycle, and compost in an effort to create a zero-waste community.
Blog text (13)
Synonyms
19
1.7
A person who collects trash from homes and takes it away
6
3.0
A person who collects trash from homes or shops
1
3.3
A person who collects trash and looks for things to use again or sell
1
3.1
A person who collects and takes away rubbish from homes and businesses
1
2.8
A woman who collects and takes away trash from homes and streets
1
3.0
A person or company that collects and takes away trash
1
9.5
A person who collects rubbish from outside people's houses
1
4.9
A person who collects rubbish from bins outside homes
1
6.1
A person who collects and takes away household rubbish
A woman who collects trash from homes and shops
A person who collects and takes away rubbish from homes
How Formal
- Specialized
1
4.3
- UK
1
3.1
- US
4
2.1
- US
6
3.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a person who collects and disposes of refuse' is directly and compositionally derivable from 'garbage' (refuse) + 'collector' (a person who collects). This noun–noun compound follows a common English pattern (modifier + collector) found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The noun garbage collector comes from the simple image of a worker who picks up garbage and puts it in a truck, the collector being the person who does the picking. That's why it means 'a person who collects and gets rid of trash'.