rubbish
rubbish — noun
1. things such as old food containers, used paper, broken objects, and other materi
things such as old food containers, used paper, broken objects, and other materials that people throw away because they no longer have any use for them
Liang dropped the empty milk carton into the kitchen rubbish bin.
collocation: rubbish bin
Tunde carried two heavy bags of garden rubbish out to the front gate.
The city council now collects household rubbish every Monday instead of Tuesday.
Devika found an old chair among the rubbish left on the pavement.
A huge amount of plastic rubbish from rivers ends up in the ocean each year.
文法句型
rubbish + noun (rubbish bin, rubbish dump, rubbish collection)
用法筆記
In American English, trash or garbage is more common than rubbish for this sense. Rubbish is an uncountable noun, so use a piece of rubbish for a single item.
常見錯誤
2. a film, book, idea, article, or statement that you believe has very little value
a film, book, idea, article, or statement that you believe has very little value or is completely untrue
Henry said the film was complete rubbish and walked out after twenty minutes.
collocation: complete rubbish
Quinn read the article and thought it was absolute rubbish full of lies.
collocation: absolute rubbish
The so-called expert was talking rubbish about things he knew nothing about.
Camila refused to listen to all that rubbish about her being lazy.
Jason's older brother told him not to believe the rubbish he saw online.
用法筆記
Often used with strong adjectives such as complete, absolute, or total before it. A common fixed phrase is a load of rubbish or a pile of rubbish, meaning something is completely worthless or untrue.
常見錯誤
rubbish — verb
1. to express strong negative opinions about someone or something by saying they ar
to express strong negative opinions about someone or something by saying they are worthless, wrong, or of very poor quality
Several critics rubbished the new museum building as ugly and badly designed.
passive: was rubbished by [someone]
Sari's manager rubbished her proposal before she could finish explaining it.
Ilan's teammates rubbished the idea of training on a Sunday morning.
The minister was rubbished by opposition politicians during the debate.
- praise
express warm approval or admiration of someone or something
文法句型
rubbish someone/something
用法筆記
This verb is most common in British English and carries a dismissive, often harsh tone. It is typically found in informal writing such as blog posts, reviews, and opinion pieces rather than formal reports.
rubbish — adjective
1. having no ability at all in a specific area of activity, such as a sport, a scho
having no ability at all in a specific area of activity, such as a sport, a school subject, or a practical task
Ingrid admitted she was rubbish at chess and never won a single game.
pattern: rubbish at [activity]
The technician said his new assistant was rubbish with basic tools and machines.
pattern: rubbish with [tools/subjects]
Roya felt rubbish at maths compared to her classmates who got full marks.
The local team was so rubbish that the fans stopped coming to matches.
- brilliant
extremely skilful or impressive; informal British usage
文法句型
rubbish at (doing) something
rubbish with something
用法筆記
Followed by at for activities and skills (rubbish at tennis, rubbish at cooking) and with for topics, tools, or equipment (rubbish with computers, rubbish with numbers). Cannot be used before a noun in this sense — say a rubbish player, not a rubbish player at football (though a rubbish player works as a standalone noun phrase meaning the player is bad at their sport).
常見錯誤
rubbish — idiom
rubbish — exclamation
1. uttered alone to firmly reject a statement or claim that you consider untrue, un
uttered alone to firmly reject a statement or claim that you consider untrue, unfair, or absurd
"Rubbish! That is simply not what the research shows," the scientist replied firmly.
informal exclamation for strong disagreement
A woman in the audience shouted "Rubbish!" when the politician denied raising taxes.
"Rubbish! You cannot eat that whole cake by yourself," Trang laughed at her brother.
When the manager claimed nobody had warned him, several staff called out "Rubbish!" from the back of the room.
"Rubbish! That excuse is simply not good enough," the teacher told the student who was late.
用法筆記
Can sound rude or aggressive depending on the tone of voice. In polite conversation, alternatives such as I disagree or That is not true are safer. The exclamation is always followed by an exclamation mark in writing.