dustbin

/ˈdʌstbɪn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdʌstbɪn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdəs(t)-ˌbin/ (ame, mw)

dustbin — noun

  • dustbinsingular
  • dustbinsplural

1. a sturdy bin, usually kept outside a building, where household rubbish is stored

1.名詞A2
釋義

a sturdy bin, usually kept outside a building, where household rubbish is stored before pickup.

例句

Putri carried the full dustbin to the gate before sunrise.

take the dustbin out — typical household task

A cracked dustbin spilled wet leaves across Tanvi's back step.

同義詞
  • bin

    broader everyday word that can also mean a smaller indoor container

  • trash can

    usual American English equivalent

  • garbage can

    American English, often used when household waste includes food scraps

文法句型

put something in the dustbin

take the dustbin out

用法筆記

Mostly British English. American English usually says 'trash can' or 'garbage can'. This word often suggests the larger bin kept outdoors, not a small bin under a desk.

常見錯誤

❌There is a dustbin under my office desk.
✅There is a wastebasket under my office desk.
💡'dustbin' usually refers to a larger rubbish bin, often kept outside.

2. the figurative place where ideas, fashions, or plans are imagined to end up once

2.名詞C1
釋義

the figurative place where ideas, fashions, or plans are imagined to end up once people no longer value or use them.

例句

Within two years, floppy disks had gone into the dustbin of technology.

dustbin of technology — figurative use for obsolete things

Months of protests sent the failed tax plan to the dustbin.

send something to the dustbin — reject as no longer wanted

同義詞
  • oblivion

    emphasizes being forgotten rather than being thrown away

  • scrapheap

    often used for machines, plans, or systems judged no longer useful

文法句型

end up in the dustbin

the dustbin of history

用法筆記

Used figuratively for ideas, styles, rules, or plans that people reject or stop caring about. It often appears in phrases like 'the dustbin of history'.

常見錯誤

❌My old shoes are in the dustbin of history.
✅My old shoes are in the dustbin.
💡the figurative sense is for outdated ideas or fashions, not ordinary physical rubbish.