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landfill

LAND-fil /ˈlændfɪl/

nounB1IELTSTOEFL

neutral

A place to dispose of refuse and other waste material by burying it and covering it over with soil.

Refers specifically to an engineered, managed site, rather than an unregulated, open dump.

The story behind the word. Before the mid-20th century, cities simply had 'dumps'—unregulated heaps where trash was piled and often burned. The term 'landfill' was coined in the 1940s as a technical euphemism, reflecting a new engineering approach where waste was buried systematically under layers of soil to reclaim land for development.

Word relationships

dump: A dump is an unregulated, open heap of trash, whereas a landfill is a carefully engineered and managed facility.
junkyard: A junkyard is specifically for scrap metal and old vehicles, while a landfill is for general municipal waste.

Commonly confused with

dump: A dump is informal and often illegal or unregulated; a landfill is engineered and regulated by environmental laws.

Word family

landfilling (noun): The process of disposing of waste in a landfill.

Collocations

landfill site
municipal landfill
landfill gas
landfill diversion

Example sentences

"Modern landfill design includes thick clay liners and methane gas recovery systems to protect the surrounding environment." Environmental science textbook
"The county landfill is projected to reach its maximum capacity within the next three years." Local news report on waste crisis

Memory hook

Literally filling the land with trash and covering it up. Filling the land.

When not to use

Do not use to describe a simple pile of trash in a backyard; that is a dump or heap.

Fun facts

Freshkills Landfill in New York was once the largest man-made structure in the world, even larger than the Great Wall of China.