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 WebMohammad Al Sawalhi, CNN, 26 June 2024
There are gravel ramparts and rubble patches and rocky outcroppings, all of which suggest an eventful history of working and reworking by the elements.
—Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 26 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
Scenes of ‘massacre’ at local hospitals The footage obtained by CNN from the area shows survivors clambering over rubble as missiles streak across the sky.
—Mohammad Al Sawalhi, CNN, 26 June 2024
There are gravel ramparts and rubble patches and rocky outcroppings, all of which suggest an eventful history of working and reworking by the elements.
—Raymond Zhong, New York Times, 26 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 7 Jul. 2024.
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