garbage can
noun/ˈɡɑːbɪdʒ kæn/
/ˈɡɑːrbɪdʒ kæn/
(also trash can, garbage bin
(all North American English) /ˈɡɑːbɪdʒ bɪn/
/ˈɡɑːrbɪdʒ bɪn/
)(British English dustbin)
- a large container with a lid (= cover), used for putting rubbish in, usually kept outside the houseBritish/American rubbish / garbage / trash / refuserubbish / garbage / trash / refuseTopics Gardensb2
- 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.
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
garbage can