dustheap

[ duhst-heep ]

noun

1. a heap or pile of rubbish, refuse, or the like.
2. oblivion; obscurity; disregard; disuse:

   He was consigned to the dustheap after many years of public service.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dustheap¹

First recorded in 1645–55; dust + heap

Example Sentences

In his gonzo science-fiction extravaganza Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets--adapted from the graphic-novel series Valérian et Laureline by Pierre Christin and illustrator Jean-Claude Mézières--he reaches for the stars and comes away with a messy, if occasionally entertaining, cosmic dustheap.

From Time

Michele Bachmann, who has been elevated from the dustheap of history by none other than the Trump campaign which she advises, had a mixed week.

From Salon

By the time 2003 rolled around Venter was out at Celera, and Celera was on its way to the biotech dustheap.

From Forbes

Urged by a strange series of events, Ireland, like Cinderella, rose up from her dustheap, and was clad by a fairy in gorgeous garments.

From Project Gutenberg

"Not now, Jeff—I'm fonder of you than of anybody—you know that—but—but——" But if her "buts" had included the vanished Kitty Windus, Archie Merridew, or anything else from that four-year-old dustheap, I had allowed them to avail her little.

From Project Gutenberg