dumpster

noun

dump·​ster ˈdəm(p)-stər How to pronounce dumpster (audio)
variants or less commonly Dumpster
: a large trash receptacle

Examples of dumpster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
State troopers found the sign supporting Jones in a dumpster behind a business — owned by Mooney, police said. Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 29 May 2025 The Suffolk County Police Department says the two men were in a dumpster located in Commack, New York, when it was emptied into a garbage truck in the early morning hours of Thursday, May 29. Jillian Frankel, People.com, 29 May 2025 Suffolk County police believe the two men were sleeping in a dumpster at a shopping center along Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack, about 5 miles away from Rogers Middle School. Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 29 May 2025 Johnson and another inmate were found hiding in a dumpster behind a Dollar General store. CBS News, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for dumpster

Word History

Etymology

dump entry 1 + -ster (originally in the trademarked name Dempster Dumpster, applied to mechanically loaded refuse containers produced by the Dempster Brothers Company of Knoxville, Tennessee)

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dumpster was in 1937

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dumpster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dumpster. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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