Rubble definition

rŭbəl
A loose mass of angular fragments of rock or masonry crumbled by natural or human forces.
noun
5
1
Debris from buildings, etc., resulting from earthquake, bombing, etc.
noun
3
2
Rubble is defined as loose and rough pieces of rock that came from a bigger piece, a structure made from such material, or debris from destroyed buildings.

An example of rubble is a group of loose rock pieces falling off a cliff.

An example of rubble is what is left after a building is bombed.

noun
1
0
Irregular fragments or pieces of rock used in masonry.
noun
1
0
The masonry made with such rocks.
noun
1
0
Advertisement
The broken remains of an object, usually rock or masonry.
noun
0
0
Rough, irregular, loose fragments of rock, broken from larger bodies either by natural processes or artificially, as by blasting.
noun
0
2
Masonry made of rubble; rubblework.
noun
0
2

Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
rubble
Plural:
rubbles

Origin of rubble

  • Middle English rubel

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Anglo-Norman *robel (“bits of broken stone"). Presumably related to rubbish, originally of same meaning (bits of stone). Ultimately presumably from Proto-Germanic *raub- (“to break"), perhaps via Old French robe (English rob (“steal")) in sense of “plunder, destroy"; see also Middle English, Middle French -el.

    From Wiktionary

Rubble Sentence Examples

  • Common rubble walls are the worst of all.

  • These new structures also consist of rubble mounds.

  • The masonry is described by Mr Schuyler as " a rough uncut granite ashlar, with a hearting of rough rubble all laid in cement mortar and gravel."

  • Its walls of flint rubble survive in stately fragments, and enclose an area of 200 acres.

  • In the centre, the oblong pyramid of rubble cased with hewn stone and cemented 375 X 300 ft.

More sentences

Related articles

Also Mentioned In

Words near rubble in the Dictionary