Logo

“Dumpster fire” has gone from internet meme to Merriam-Webster.com.

The informal noun — defined as “an utterly calamitous or mismanaged situation or occurrence” — was added to the online dictionary along with 850 new words, including “mansplain,” “cryptocurrency,” “life hack” and “welp.”

It’s hard to say when exactly the red-hot phrase, often illustrated as a metal bin full of flaming trash, entered the mainstream, but its popularity as a pet phrase has grown along with political turmoil the world over.

Here’s an example of how to use it in a sentence: “So while 2017 has been, by many measures, a complete dumpster fire of a year, New Yorkers can at the very least take refuge in the fact that their city is becoming an ever safer place to live.”

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy