How to Use dumpster diving in a Sentence

dumpster diving

noun
  • Though the trash was taken out, lottery officials said, the man ended up dumpster diving and was able to find it.
    — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
  • Ferrell, who no longer teaches sociology full time, spends much of his days dumpster diving.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025
  • Louisville's solid waste ordinance does not disallow dumpster diving on public land.
    — Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Compliments of the Los Angeles of thirty years ago, coyote dumpster diving is an urban legend with legs.
    — Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Paige Thalia said the inspiration to go dumpster diving the morning after the awards show came pretty soon after moving into her apartment a few weeks ago.
    — Gio Insignares, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Close reading this sentence near the beginning of his own essay on cliché, the British critic Christopher Ricks does some dumpster diving.
    — Katie Kadue, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
  • For the second version, Fan went dumpster diving and found scraps at furniture stores, motors on eBay and bookends from the dollar store that were the perfect height.
    — Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
  • Is dumpster diving considered trespassing?
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025
  • While a decades-old Supreme Court decision indirectly permits dumpster diving on public property, the practice could lead to fines and criminal charges.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025
  • In Montgomery, Alabama, an ordinance restricting dumpster diving allows it only between sunrise and sunset.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025
  • In Wood River, Illinois, for example, an ordinance introduced in 2025 completely bans dumpster diving, with fines ranging from $100 to $750.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dumpster diving.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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