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 In addition to alleviating landfill capacity issues, advocates say composting would reduce lung-irritating hydrogen sulfide and planet-warming methane, which are both produced by organic waste decomposing in landfills. Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 And at the company’s Rosemount landfill, early tests are showing some promising results. Chloe Johnson, Journal Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2024 Members of the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office searched a landfill in Hopkins County, Ridge Porter, a spokesman for the Kentucky State Police tells PEOPLE. Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 The vote against the landfill project marked the issue’s return to Jefferson City after a dispute over the project ground the state Senate to a halt last year. Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 The gas comes from decomposing trash in landfills, methane-emitting microbes in rice paddies, and infamously from livestock burping and pooping. Justine Calma, The Verge, 4 Mar. 2024 According to the Environmental Protection Agency, over nine million tons of furniture in America end up in landfills every year. Jenna Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024 Around 60 percent of methane emissions come from human activities, including agriculture, fossil fuels and landfills. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Feb. 2024 But after the haircut, it would be swept up, trashed and dumped in a landfill. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'landfill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 19 Mar. 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

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