rubble

American  

[ruhb-uhl, roo-buhl] / ˈrʌb əl, ˈru bəl /

noun

1. broken bits and pieces of anything, as that which is demolished.

   Bombing reduced the town to rubble.

2. any solid substance, as ice, in irregularly broken pieces.

3. rough fragments of broken stone, formed by geological processes, in quarrying, etc., and sometimes used in masonry.

4. masonry built of rough fragments of broken stone.

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rubble British  

/ ˈrʌbəl /

noun

1. fragments of broken stones, bricks, etc

2. any fragmented solid material, esp the debris from ruined buildings

3. quarrying the weathered surface layer of rock

4. Also called: rubblework.  masonry constructed of broken pieces of rock, stone, etc

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Other Word Forms

• rubbly adjective

Etymology

Origin of rubble

1350–1400; Middle English rubel, robil < ?; cf. rubbish

Explanation

The pile of crumbled debris that's left over after something breaks or collapses is rubble. Famous scenes of rubble include the fallen Twin Towers on September 11 and the remains of the Haitian capital after the 2010 earthquake. Rubble rhymes with "bubble," but when a bubble bursts, it just dissolves into liquid, while rubble is piles of rock, concrete, brick, and other remains that are a very physical reminder of destruction. Rock slides create rubble from rocks, and natural disasters and explosions create rubble from buildings, cars, and trees. Unfortunately, rubble is usually heavy and can trap people or things beneath it, as when bodies are found in the rubble of a fire or earthquake.

Example Sentences

On April 19, as search-and-rescue teams dug through the rubble for survivors, Emerson became a sought-after TV pundit.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026

Firefighters were trying to extinguish the blazes in the still-smoldering rubble, while rescue workers laboured to pull victims from the debris and bulldozers tried to clear a path.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

At Royal Hill we saw documents in Chinese, recovered from the rubble, detailing the punishments for failing to meet targets.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

At a pagoda in the suburb of Amarapura, a statue of a reclining Buddha emerges from a carefully arranged pile of brick rubble, its face respectfully cleaned.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Håkon grabbed Ivan and pulled him away from the shifting stones, clearing the rubble just before the top of the pile crashed down.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Related Words

• debris