Müll
/mʏl/masculine
The English word 'waste' can be translated into German as Müll, Abfall or Ausschuss.
Meaning: useless by-products, garbage (noun)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Müll | /mʏl/ | masculine |
| Abfall | [ˈapfal] (narrow) | masculine |
| Ausschuss | /ˈaʊ̯s.ˌʃʊs/ | masculine |
The terms in this pack refer to useless by-products or garbage. In a household context, the standard way to say 'to take out the trash' is den Müll rausbringen.
Which one should you use?
Abfall is a more formal or technical term used in contexts like waste management or industrial waste. Ausschuss refers specifically to waste in the sense of defective products or rejected items from a production process.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The compound noun Mülltrennung (waste separation) is formed by combining Müll and Trennung.
How do you pronounce it?
Müll is pronounced /mʏl/.
Did you know?
- In Germany, Mülltrennung is so culturally significant that residents can be fined or lectured by neighbors for putting the wrong item in a recycling bin.
- While we use 'offal' in English to describe organ meats, it is a cognate of the German word Abfall, which simply means 'waste'.
- Depending on the region, the word Müll can be used in slang to describe something of very poor quality, similar to the English 'trashy'.
Examples in context
- Wo sollten wir den Abfall entsorgen?Where should we dispose of the waste?This sentence is useful for asking about the disposal of Abfall.Tatoeba #838609 by Espi, translation #44504 by Lumi
- Die Mülltrennung ist keineswegs ein Bagatellproblem.Waste separation is no small matter.This sentence shows how to use Müll in the context of waste separation.Tatoeba #4820294 by al_ex_an_der, translation #10258695 by sundown
- Wir trennen den meisten Abfall, aber Textilien nicht.We separate most waste, but not textiles.This sentence is useful for discussing the separation of different types of Abfall.Tatoeba #13746393 by Waldelfe, translation #13746391 by Tom9358
- Hier herrscht eine hohe Verschwendung von Ressourcen.There is a high waste of resources here.
- Warum wirfst du das Essen in den Müll?Why are you throwing the food in the trash?
- Die Verschwendung von Ressourcen gefährdet unsere Umwelt.The waste of resources endangers our environment.
- Das ist doch nur Schrott, wirf es weg.That's just junk, throw it away.
- Wir sollten unsere Lebensmittelverschwendung durch Abfallvermeidung reduzieren.We should reduce our food waste through waste avoidance.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Maximilian are cleaning up their kitchen.
- JuliaMaximilian, kannst du bitte den Müll wegbringen?Maximilian, can you please take the trash away?
- MaximilianJa, ich mache das sofort.Yes, I will do that immediately.
- JuliaDanke, er ist schon fast voll.Thanks, it is almost full.
- MaximilianKein Problem, ich erledige das.No problem, I'll take care of it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “waste” translations and entries Müll, Abfall, Ausschuss, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Abfall, Ausschuss, Müll, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
