landfill

noun

land·​fill ˈlan(d)-ˌfil How to pronounce landfill (audio)
1
: an area built up by landfill
2
: a system of trash and garbage disposal in which the waste is buried between layers of earth to build up low-lying land

called also sanitary landfill

landfill transitive verb

Examples of landfill in a Sentence

using landfill to dispose of trash Part of the city was built on landfill.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Food is often cut off from oxygen when it's piled up in a landfill. London Gibson, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Nov. 2024 In the Wednesday complaint, the county alleged that the companies promoted their bottles as recyclable but knew most of them would end up in landfills and that they cannot be meaningfully recycled without environmental harms. Zack Budryk, The Hill, 1 Nov. 2024 The composting program reduces waste that would otherwise end up in landfills. Shafaq Patel, Axios, 1 Nov. 2024 The rest ends up being incinerated, sent to landfills, or discarded on the landscape, where they are often flushed into rivers or out to sea. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for landfill 

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of landfill was in 1903

Dictionary Entries Near landfill

Cite this Entry

“Landfill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/landfill. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

landfill

noun
land·​fill -ˌfil How to pronounce landfill (audio)
1
: a system of trash and garbage disposal in which the waste is buried between layers of earth
2
: an area built up by landfill

More from Merriam-Webster on landfill

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!