garbage

[ gahr-bij ]

noun

1. discarded animal and vegetable matter, as from a kitchen; refuse.
2. any matter that is no longer wanted or needed; trash.
3. a bin or other receptacle for discarded matter, especially kitchen waste; garbage can:

   Hey, who threw my leftover pizza in the garbage?

   Synonyms: taradiddle, malarkey, hogwash, claptrap, bunkum, nonsense, waste, trash, rubbish, junk, refuse, litter

4. anything that is contemptibly worthless, inferior, or vile:

   There's nothing but garbage on TV tonight.

5. worthless talk; lies; foolishness.
6. Informal. any unnecessary item added to something else, as for appearance only; garnish:

   I'll have an Old Fashioned, but without the garbage.

7. useless artificial satellites or parts of rockets floating in space, as satellites that are no longer transmitting information or rocket boosters jettisoned in flight.
8. Computers. meaningless or unwanted data:

   That program was not properly debugged and produced nothing but garbage.

garbage

/ ˈɡɑːbɪdʒ /

noun

1. worthless, useless, or unwanted matter
2. Also calledrubbish discarded or waste matter; refuse
3. computing invalid data
4. informal.
   nonsense

Word History and Origins

Origin of garbage¹

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English garbage, gabage “discarded parts of butchered fowls; entrails of fowls used for human food”; compare with Middle English garbelage “removal of refuse from spices,” Middle English garbelure “refuse found in spices,” and Old French garbage (also jarbage ) “tax on sheaves of grain,” but the shift of sense here is unclear; further origin uncertain; garble, -age

Word History and Origins

Origin of garbage¹

C15: probably from Anglo-French garbelage removal of discarded matter, of uncertain origin; compare Old Italian garbuglio confusion

Example Sentences

The area had limited water and electrical service and no gas lines, sewers, garbage pickup or paved roads, according to a historical study prepared by the Architectural Resources Group last month for the city council.

From Los Angeles Times

The second item on his to-do list involves continuing negotiations with the city of L.A., which will have to provide traffic control, garbage collection and other services at venues.

From Los Angeles Times

And, perhaps most notably, it resulted in the creation of foods that repurpose what might otherwise end up in the garbage without sacrificing taste in the interest of altruism.

From Salon

Of course, the steeper hurdle is getting people to eat something that many view as garbage.

From Salon

In some cases, it's people who are busy and disconnected, making them vulnerable to the pressures to give up real news in favor of an easily accessed and more pleasant diet of social media garbage.

From Salon