Trash

/træʃ/

nounBeginner🔥Very CommonGeneral
3 meanings2 idioms/phrases3 questions

Definitions

3 meanings
1

Waste material; refuse.

/træʃ/

nounneutralBeginner
General

Worthless or unwanted items

Please take out the trash.

💡 Simply: Trash is stuff you don't want anymore, like empty food wrappers or broken toys. Imagine your room after a big clean-up – all the stuff you're not keeping is trash!

👶 For kids: Trash is stuff you throw away because you don't need it anymore.

More Examples

2

The street was covered in trash after the parade.

3

She sorted the trash into recyclables and non-recyclables.

How It's Used

Household

"I take the trash out every Tuesday."

Environment

"The beach was littered with trash after the concert."

2

To discard or dispose of as worthless.

/træʃ/

verbneutralmedium
General

To dispose of as worthless; discard

She trashed the letter after reading it.

💡 Simply: To trash something means to throw it away because it's no longer useful or wanted. Like when you trash a drawing you don't like!

👶 For kids: To trash something means to throw it away!

More Examples

2

They decided to trash the old computer.

3

He trashed his opponent's argument during the debate.

How It's Used

Home

"I trashed the old newspapers."

Figurative

"He trashed the other team in the post-game interview."

Tip:Imagine throwing something in the TRASH bin.
3

To criticize harshly and often unfairly.

/træʃ/

verbnegativeAdvanced
General

To criticize severely; denigrate.

The reviewer trashed the new movie.

💡 Simply: When you trash someone, you're saying really mean things about them, like saying their work is bad or making fun of them. It's like throwing verbal trash at someone!

👶 For kids: To trash someone means to say mean things about them.

More Examples

2

The politician was accused of trashing his opponent's reputation.

3

The kids were trash-talking each other on the playground.

How It's Used

Sports

"The players were trash-talking before the game."

Informal

"He trashed her idea during the meeting."

Tip:Imagine speaking trash - MEAN, bad things.

Idioms & expressions

trash talk

Aggressive or boastful comments, especially between competitors.

"The two teams engaged in some friendly trash talk before the game."

to talk trash

To make aggressive or boastful comments, to denigrate or insult someone or something.

"He loves to talk trash about his opponents."

From Middle English trasch, likely from a Scandinavian source, possibly related to Old Norse *tras 'rubbish'.

The word 'trash' has been used since the Middle Ages, originally referring to waste material. Its figurative use for criticism developed later.

Memory tip

Think of the things you throw AWAY.

Word Origin

LanguageOld Norse
Original meaning

"rubbish"

take out the trashtrash bagtrash cansort the trashcollect trashtalk trash

Common misspellings

trachtrashhtrush

Usage

70%Spoken
30%Written