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.
The remains of a girl found in a Phoenix dumpster in 1984 were identified as Renee Isabel Nilsson. Wren Smetana, AZCentral.com, 31 July 2025 The next month, partial remains were discovered in a Phoenix dumpster, the group said. Sara Schilling, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2025 Following his arrest, prosecutors said Gann lied to law enforcement officers about having disposed of his precursor chemicals and the shotgun shells in a dumpster in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 23 July 2025 In May of this year, an unrelated 11-year-old male grizzly was also euthanised after flipping over multiple bear-resistant dumpsters in high-traffic areas like Old Faithful and Nez Perce Picnic Area, as reported by East Idaho News. Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 July 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 5 Aug. 2025.

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