refuse2
noun/ˈrefjuːs/
/ˈrefjuːs/
[uncountable] (formal)- waste material that has been thrown away synonym rubbish
- domestic/household refuse
- the city refuse dump
- refuse collection/disposal
British/American rubbish / garbage / trash / refuserubbish / garbage / trash / refuse- Rubbish is the usual word in British English for the things that you throw away because you no longer want or need them. Garbage and trash are both used in North American English. Inside the home, garbage tends to mean waste food and other wet material, while trash is paper, card and dry material.
- In British English, you put your rubbish in a dustbin in the street to be collected by the dustmen. In North American English, your garbage and trash goes in a garbage can/trashcan in the street and is collected by garbage men/collectors.
- Refuse is a formal word and is used in both British English and North American English. Refuse collector is the formal word for a dustman or garbage collector.
Extra Examples- People dump their refuse in the surrounding woods instead of taking it to the tip.
- People just dump their refuse in the street.
- Refuse is collected on Fridays.
- What day do they collect the refuse?
- Domestic refuse can be burnt to produce electricity.
- The local council is responsible for basic services such as refuse collection.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- domestic
- household
- human
- …
- heap
- pile
- dump
- collect
- collection
- disposal
- collector
- …
More Like This Pronunciation changes by part of speechPronunciation changes by part of speechWord Originlate Middle English: perhaps from Old French refusé ‘refused’, past participle of refuser, probably an alteration of Latin recusare ‘to refuse’, influenced by refutare ‘refute’.Definitions on the go
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refuse2