German word

Abfall

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈapfal/

Meaning

  • masculine nountrash

Example

Wir werfen den Abfall in den Mülleimer.

We throw the trash in the trash can.

Illustration for Abfall (trash)

More examples

Alte Batterien sollte man als Abfall fachgerecht entsorgen.

Old batteries should be properly disposed of as waste.

Core concept

Discarded material at the edge of an activity, ready for collection, reuse, recycling, or disposal.

Common phrases

  • Abfall entsorgen

    dispose of waste

  • Abfall trennen

    sort waste

  • Abfall vermeiden

    avoid waste

Similar words

Müll: Everyday household waste in casual speech.
Mülleimer: A small container for household or public-place waste.
Mülltonne: A large waste container placed out for collection.
Müllabfuhr: A municipal service that collects waste from homes and facilities.

Definition in German

Abfall ist ein meist nicht zählbarer Stoff oder Gegenstand, der weggeworfen oder entsorgt wird.

Word origin

The noun Abfall comes from the verb abfallen, 'to fall away', combining ab- with Fall and acquiring the established sense of material rejected from use.

Usage tips

  • Müll is common in everyday speech, while Abfall is especially frequent in official, recycling, and technical contexts.

Other meanings

  • wastenoun
  • scrapnoun

Opposites

  • Wertstoffrecyclable materialnoun

Related words

  • Abfallentsorgungwaste disposalnoun
  • Abfallwirtschaftwaste managementnoun
  • Abfallgebührwaste feenoun

Word lists with this word