dumping

IPA/ˈdʌmpɪŋ/
KK[dˈʌmpɪŋ]IPA/ˈdʌmpɪŋ/

dumping — noun

1. the activity of leaving waste or unwanted items in a place where they should not

1.nounB2
Definition

the activity of leaving waste or unwanted items in a place where they should not be, especially when this damages the environment

Example

The factory was fined for the illegal dumping of chemical waste into the river.

collocation: illegal dumping of [waste]

Local residents complained about the dumping of old furniture along the mountain road.

Common collocations
  • illegal dumping
  • dumping of waste
  • toxic dumping
  • hazardous dumping
  • dumping site
  • dumping ground
  • dumping ban
Synonyms
  • disposal

    broader term; dumping implies improper or illegal disposal

  • discarding

    focuses on the act of throwing away, not necessarily illegally

Grammar Patterns

the dumping of [waste/materials] + [location]

Usage Note

Frequently modified by adjectives such as illegal, dangerous, toxic, or hazardous. The pattern the dumping of + noun is more common in formal or written English than the gerund form alone.

Common Mistakes

The company was fined for dumping of waste.
The company was fined for the dumping of waste.
When dumping is followed by of, it needs the definite article the before it.
Dumping trash in the ocean is illegal.' (ambiguous — could refer to waste disposal or trade).
The illegal dumping of plastic into the ocean harms marine life.
Add modifiers (illegal, toxic) to clarify the waste-disposal sense.

2. the practice of a country or company selling large quantities of goods in anothe

2.nounC1
Definition

the practice of a country or company selling large quantities of goods in another country at prices far below their usual market value, often with the aim of harming local producers

Example

The steel industry accused foreign companies of dumping cheap products on the local market.

pattern: accuse [company] of dumping [product] on [market]

Tanvi learned that dumping can help a seller capture new customers by undercutting local prices.

Common collocations
  • dumping of goods
  • dumping complaint
  • anti-dumping duties
  • dumping investigation
  • dumping case
  • dumping margin
  • dumping of subsidised products
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • fair trade

    trade conducted at agreed, fair market prices

Grammar Patterns

dumping of [product/goods] + on/in [market]

Usage Note

Almost always used in formal or academic contexts related to international trade and economics. Frequently appears in the compound anti-dumping (e.g. anti-dumping laws, anti-dumping duties). Distinguish from sense 1 (WASTE DISPOSAL), which refers to physical waste rather than commercial goods.

Common Mistakes

China is dumping steel in Europe' (vague — sounds like waste).
China was accused of dumping subsidised steel on the European market.
Add market/location and subsidised to make the trade meaning clear.
Anti-dumping taxes are good for everyone.
Anti-dumping duties protect local industries from unfair price competition.
Use duties or tariffs instead of taxes, which is less precise in trade contexts.

Word family

  • dump
    verbB1
  • dump
    nounB2
  • dumper
    nounC1
  • dumptruck
    nounB2
  • anti-dumping
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All three terms describe selling goods below normal prices, but they differ in scope and register. Dumping is the narrowest: it specifically refers to international trade, where a country or company exports products at prices lower than the domestic market — often with government subsidies. Undercutting is broader and more informal: any seller can undercut a competitor by offering a lower price, even within the same city, and it does not imply harm to an entire industry. Predatory pricing is the most general economic term, covering any situation where a business sets prices so low that competitors cannot survive, regardless of national borders. In news articles about trade disputes, dumping is the standard term; undercutting would sound too informal, and predatory pricing would be too vague about the cross-border element.

dumping ↗undercutting ↗predatory pricing

Common collocations

Nouns

  • dumping ground
  • dumping site
  • dumping case
  • dumping complaint
  • dumping duty
  • dumping margin

Phrases

  • no dumping
  • illegal dumping
  • anti-dumping measures
  • dumping of waste
  • dumping of goods

Prepositions

  • dumping of
  • dumping on
  • dumping in

Etymology

Old NorseEnglish

Dumping comes from the verb dump, which has been used since the 1300s to mean 'to drop heavily or fall with a thud' — possibly from Old Norse dumpar, related to 'to thump.' By the 1800s, dump had taken on the meaning 'to unload or get rid of (something) carelessly.' The waste-disposal sense of dumping appeared in the early 1900s with the rise of organised trash collection. The trade sense emerged in the 1920s, when economists used it to describe countries 'dumping' surplus goods onto foreign markets at very low prices — the same idea of getting rid of something unwanted, applied to commerce rather than rubbish.

First known use

1857

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1