Meanings
plural garbage collections
- CanadaUSuncountableusuallyA service, generally run by local government, for transporting household garbage to the appropriate facility.
Synonyms: rubbish collection
- uncountableusuallycomputingAn automatic mechanism that frees up resources (such as allocated memory) that are no longer in use.
Java uses a technique known as garbage collection to remove objects that are no longer needed. The garbage collector is Java's grim reaper.
[2002, Patrick Niemeyer, Jonathan Knudsen, Learning Java, O'Reilly, →ISBN, page 1351 more example
Generational garbage collection has proved to be a highly effective organisation, offering significant performance improvements for a wide range of applications.
2016, Richard Jones, Antony Hosking, Eliot Moss, The Garbage Collection Handbook, CRC Press, →ISBNSynonyms: GC
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA service, generally run by local government, for transporting household garbage to the appropriate facility.
nounAn automatic mechanism that frees up resources (such as allocated memory) that are no longer in use.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe collection and removal of garbage
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 垃圾回收
- 垃圾回收 (lājī huíshōu, lèsè huíshōu)programming
Dutch vuilnisophaling
- vuilnisophalingservice for transporting household garbage
Finnish jätteiden keräily, roskankeruu
- jätteiden keräilyservice for transporting household garbage
- roskankeruuprogramming
- roskienkeräysprogramming
- automaattinen roskienkeräysprogramming
French ramasse-miettes
- ramasse-miettesprogramming
German Müllabfuhr, Freispeichersammlung
- Müllabfuhrservice for transporting household garbage
- Freispeichersammlungprogramming
- automatische Speicherbereinigungprogramming
Greek αποκομιδή απορριμμάτων, συλλογή απορριμμάτων
- αποκομιδή απορριμμάτων (apokomidí aporrimmáton)service for transporting household garbage
- συλλογή απορριμμάτων (syllogí aporrimmáton)service for transporting household garbage
- συλλογή απορριμάτων (syllogí aporrimáton)programming
Hungarian hulladékszállítás
- hulladékszállításservice for transporting household garbage
Icelandic sorphreinsun, ruslasöfnun
- sorphreinsunservice for transporting household garbage
- ruslasöfnunprogramming
- ruslsöfnunprogramming
- ruslsópunprogramming
Irish bailiú bruscair
- bailiú bruscairservice for transporting household garbage
Italian nettezza urbana
- nettezza urbanaservice for transporting household garbage
Japanese ごみ回収, ごみ収集
- ごみ回収 (gomi kaishū)service for transporting household garbage
- ごみ収集 (gomi shūshū)service for transporting household garbage
- ガーベジコレクション (gābeji korekushon)programming
Russian убо́рка му́сора, сбо́рка му́сора
- убо́рка му́сора (ubórka músora)service for transporting household garbage
- сбо́рка му́сора (sbórka músora)programming
Swedish sophämtning, skräpsamlare
- sophämtningservice for transporting household garbage
- skräpsamlareprogramming
Turkish çöp toplama, çöp toplama
- çöp toplamaservice for transporting household garbage
- çöp toplamaprogramming
Cite this entry
garbage collection. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/garbage%20collection
“garbage collection.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/garbage%20collection. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “garbage collection,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/garbage%20collection.
Source: garbage collection on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.