rubble

1 of 2

noun

rub·​ble ˈrə-bəl How to pronounce rubble (audio)
Synonyms of rubble
1
a
: broken fragments (as of rock) resulting from the decay or destruction of a building
… fortifications knocked into rubble.—C. S. Forester
b
: a miscellaneous confused mass or group of usually broken or worthless things
2
: waterworn or rough broken stones or bricks used in coarse masonry or in filling courses of walls
3
: rough stone as it comes from the quarry

rubble

2 of 2

verb

rubbled; rubbling ˈrə-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce rubble (audio)

transitive verb

: to reduce to rubble

Synonyms of rubble

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Noun

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Examples of rubble in a Sentence

Noun Rescue workers managed to pull two injured people out of the rubble. The earthquake reduced the whole town to rubble.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Amid the rubble around Bari Imam, Saida Tanvir, 50, was also given a reprieve of sorts, after her son Azeem Ahmed, 16, died while trying to block a bulldozer from crushing their roadside grocery store over the winter. — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026 And the first responders who rescued a firefighter who spent 24 hours under the rubble. — Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 The image by Associated Press photographer Jehad Alshrafi features a soccer match being played by members of the Palestinian Ahli Gaza Club on a pristine, synthetic green field, surrounded by rubble from Israeli military attacks. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 1 Sep. 2026 In footage released by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, purporting to show the aftermath of a US strike, heavy smoke can be seen hanging in the air above rubble on the ground. — Zachary Cohen, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rubble

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English robyl

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1944, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rubble was in the 14th century

Rhymes for rubble

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Browse Nearby Words

rubbishy
rubble
rubble ashlar
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Cite this Entry

“Rubble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rubble. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

rubble

noun
rub·​ble
ˈrəb-əl
1
: rough broken stones or bricks used in building
2
: a confused mass of rough or broken things

More from Merriam-Webster on rubble

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rubble

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