1
a
: broken fragments (as of rock) resulting from the decay or destruction of a building
fortifications knocked into rubble—
C. S. Forester
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
Synonyms
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 WebKate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 20 June 2024
The announcement came as Muslim families in Gaza, amid rubble and ruin on Sunday, marked the beginning of a somber Eid al-Adha holiday, which signals the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
—Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 16 June 2024
Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
The men push the seemingly fragile rocks down the canyon twice, destroying the formations to rubble as the group of three watch it without much visible reaction.
—Rey Covarrubias Jr., The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rubble 
Noun
Excavation on the Southeast Rowhouse — where the ring was found in the rubble of the front porch — started in 2007, according to the website.
—Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 20 June 2024
The announcement came as Muslim families in Gaza, amid rubble and ruin on Sunday, marked the beginning of a somber Eid al-Adha holiday, which signals the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
—Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 16 June 2024
Verb
The last major war between the two was in 2006, when Hezbollah abducted two Israeli soldiers and Israel retaliated by turning villages and towns to rubble.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
The men push the seemingly fragile rocks down the canyon twice, destroying the formations to rubble as the group of three watch it without much visible reaction.
—Rey Covarrubias Jr., The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rubble
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rubble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rubble
Cite this Entry
“Rubble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rubble. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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