Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Müll | /mʏl/ | masculine |
| Abfall | [ˈapfal] (narrow) | masculine |
| Mist | /ˈmɪst/ | masculine |
| Unrat | /ˈʊnʁaːt/ | masculine |
The term Müll is the everyday word used for household trash and garbage. You may encounter technical terms like recycelbarer Abfall for recyclable trash or Müllentsorgung for the process of garbage disposal. If you need to refer to the container itself, you can use Mülleimer or Abfalleimer to mean a trash can or bin.
Which one should you use?
While Müll is the standard term, Abfall is a more formal or technical term for waste or refuse, often used in administrative or industrial contexts, such as Bioabfall (organic waste). Mist literally means manure, but it is used colloquially to mean rubbish or can be used as an interjection for "crap" when something goes wrong. Schrott is a colloquial term specifically referring to junk or worthless items. Unrat is another form for trash.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Müllkram is an informal regional term for trash.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
All these terms are masculine nouns. Because Müll is masculine, it takes the accusative article den when it is the direct object of a verb, such as in den Müll wegwerfen (to throw the trash away).
How do you pronounce it?
/mʏl/
Did you know?
- The term Unrat is a bit of a linguistic oddity, as it is formed by combining a prefix meaning 'not' with a word that originally meant 'advice' or 'counsel'.
- Germany is world-famous for its complex 'Mülltrennung' or waste separation system, where households must sort trash into multiple colored bins for paper, plastic, organic and residual waste.
- The formal word Abfall is a cognate of the English word 'offal', which refers to the discarded organs of a butchered animal.
Examples in context
- Hau’s in den Müll!Toss it into the trash.This is useful for telling someone to toss something in the trash.Tatoeba #10571950 by Yorwba, translation #5923953 by mailohilohi
- Hebe deinen Müll auf!Pick up your trash.This is useful for telling someone to pick up their trash.Tatoeba #3016565 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2569030 by Hybrid
- Der Mülleimer ist leer.The trash can is empty.This is useful for noting that the trash can is empty.Tatoeba #10485228 by Yorwba, translation #10819672 by ddnktr
- Bitte entsorgen Sie Ihren Müll in den dafür vorgesehenen Behältern.Please dispose of your trash in the appropriate bins.
- Eine ordnungsgemäße Entsorgung von gefährlichem Abfall ist entscheidend.Proper disposal of hazardous trash is crucial.
- Lass uns den ganzen Müll/das ganze Zeug wegwerfen.Let's throw away all this trash.
- Warum behältst du diesen nutzlosen Schrott?Why are you keeping all this useless junk?
- Bitte trennen Sie Ihren recyclebaren Müll vom Restmüll.Please separate your recyclable trash from the general waste.
- Wann findet die Müllentsorgung statt?When does garbage disposal take place?
- Werfen Sie es bitte in den Mülleimer.Please throw it in the trash can.
- 47 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In the kitchen after a meal.
- LauraMaximilian, bringst du bitte den Müll raus?Maximilian, will you please take the trash out?
- MaximilianJa, Laura, ich mache das sofort.Yes, Laura, I will do that immediately.
- LauraDanke, der Müll riecht schon unangenehm.Thanks, the trash already smells unpleasant.
- MaximilianKein Problem, ich erledige das.No problem, I'll take care of it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “trash” translations and entries Müll, Abfall, Mist, Unrat, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Abfall, Mist, Müll, Unrat, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
