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
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 Web
Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
Over 105,000 people have been wounded, and thousands remain under rubble, the ministry said in a statement.
—NBC News, 3 Dec. 2024
Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2024
Flattened in a year: How Israeli bombardment reduced most of Gaza to rubble
In March, the Israeli military laid siege to that medical complex for a third time, alleging that Hamas was using it as a command center – something that Hamas denied.
—Mick Krever, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024
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Noun
Rescuers pulled 10 bodies from the rubble, including two parents and their two children, the service confirmed.
—Verb
Israeli attacks have turned much of Gaza to rubble and caused humanitarian and health crises.
—Dictionary Entries Near rubble
Cite this Entry
“Rubble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rubble. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
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