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rubbish dump

rubbish dump

1 2.0
A large open area where people leave trash
  • noun
  • /ˈrʌbɪʃ dʌmp/
  • UK
translation icon : vertedero
  • Called "Ruptures: A Many-Sided Story," it features appalling but beautifully filmed scenes of desperate poverty; we see men and women sifting through rubbish dumps for redeemable refuse.

The Temple Mount was a rubbish dump of old parts of buildings and so on.

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Examples

  • "This might have been Dhomhnall Chaim's rubbish dump," he says to Macaulay.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The films which Winterbottom has made in the developing world recognize with humanity the casualties of globalization, from Maria alone in the desert at the end of Code 46 to the man foraging through Karachi's rubbish dump in A Mighty Heart.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Over the past century, we have made it into a rubbish dump.

  • Shall I throw it on the rubbish dump?

  • It's the corporation rubbish dump where I work.

  • The Temple Mount was a rubbish dump of old parts of buildings and so on.

  • Maybe you could run to the papers again, maybe you could raise enough to pay the fines, but the Mayor will find a way to get you out -- if he has to have his rowdies plant a dead body in your yard, he will get you out -- and your children will be right back in the rubbish dump.

  • Sometimes, fragments of soft tissues are found disposed of in the open, in ditches, or rubbish dumps, and this material is brought to a forensic pathologist for examination.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Archaeologists find deposits of discarded materials—scrap stone, flints, and potsherds—in the rubbish dumps of the Neolithic.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The city plans to close the old rubbish dump and open a new facility that meets environmental standards.

Synonyms

dump
vsrubbish dump
214 1.1

A place where people leave large amounts of rubbish

is the general site for collected waste rather than a small pile
junkyard
vsrubbish dump
  • US
54 3.5

A place where old cars and metal are kept to sell for parts or recycling

is the open collection place focused on disposal rather than storage or resale
garbage dump
vsrubbish dump
  • US
9 1.0

A place where people take and leave large amounts of waste

is the broader term for a place where waste accumulates openly
dumping ground
vsrubbish dump
7 4.0

A place where people throw away unwanted things, often illegally

is the normal collected waste area rather than an illegal or informal site
toxic waste dump
vsrubbish dump
4 5.1

A place where people leave dangerous chemicals, often illegally

is the general waste area without the specific hazard or illegal disposal focus
trash heap
vsrubbish dump
  • US
3 2.4

A pile of garbage and old things people throw away

refers more generally to any place where waste is collected and left
dumpsite
vsrubbish dump
3 4.5

A piece of land where people throw away trash without control

describes the usual organized collection place rather than informal disposal spots
junk heap
vsrubbish dump
3 4.2

A messy pile of old broken things people throw away

applies more widely to organized waste collection areas beyond messy piles
junk pile
vsrubbish dump
2 2.7

A messy heap of old things that people throw away

is the general open-area collection spot rather than just a messy pile
trash pile
vsrubbish dump
  • US
1 1.3

A heap of thrown away things like paper and bottles

covers the entire collection place not only a single gathered pile
trash dump
vsrubbish dump
  • US
1 2.1

A place where people put waste to be taken away

is the general open area for collected waste rather than specific site
garbage heap
vsrubbish dump
  • US
1 2.3

A large pile of things that people have thrown away

is the broader open location for collected waste rather than one heap
rubbish heap
vsrubbish dump
  • UK
1 2.7

A pile of waste and old things

refers to the whole place for collecting waste rather than a single pile
scrapheap
vsrubbish dump
1 5.4

A pile of old broken metal and other things kept to be thrown away

is the general waste collection area, not limited to metal or scrap
sanitary landfill
vsrubbish dump
  • Specialized
1 4.0

A place where trash is buried and covered with earth to reduce smell and pollution

is the simpler open-area collection place without engineered pollution controls
wasteyard
vsrubbish dump
7.4

A piece of land where people dump waste from homes and factories

is a more general open-area collection place, not only designated land
waste-yard
vsrubbish dump
4.8

An area of land where people put rubbish

is the common term for any open area where waste is left
refuse heap
vsrubbish dump
4.5

A pile of rubbish left outside in one place

is the general site where such accumulations are gathered and left
toxic dumpsite
vsrubbish dump
  • Specialized
5.4

A place where people dump poisonous waste, often illegally or unsafely

denotes the normal collected waste area rather than hazardous waste disposal spots

How Big

toxic waste site
  • Specialized
2 4.4
to landfill
  • Specialized
1 3.5
rubbish dump
  • UK
1 2.0
rubbish heap
  • UK
1 2.7

Surface Forms

rubbish dump singular
rubbish dumps plural

Morphology

rubbish + dump

The meaning 'a place where waste is collected' is directly and compositionally derived from 'rubbish' (waste) + 'dump' (a place where material is dumped). This simple noun+noun compound follows common English and cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Rubbish dump comes from the simple image of people who dump their rubbish in one place, making a big open pile or hole. So, rubbish dump means 'a place where waste materials are left'.