recycle bin

noun

A container in which items to be recycled may be placed.

Similar
recycling bintrash
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Meanings

nounrecycle bin (plural recycle bins)

plural recycle bins

  1. A container in which items to be recycled may be placed.

    Synonyms: recycling bin, trash

  2. computingIn Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files, from which they can be retrieved or permanently deleted.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA container in which items to be recycled may be placed.

Similar
recycling bintrash
Also see
trash

Origin

First sense appears c. 1971, in the Arizona Daily Sun. Computing sense appears in 1995 with the Windows 95 operating system.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic سَلَّة الْمَحْذُوفَات
  • سَلَّة الْمَحْذُوفَات(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Chinese Mandarin 資源回收筒 /资源回收筒, 資源回收筒 /资源回收筒
  • 資源回收筒 /资源回收筒 (zīyuán huíshōu tǒng)container
  • 資源回收筒 /资源回收筒 (zīyuán huíshōu tǒng)(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
  • 回收站 (huíshōuzhàn)(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Finnish kierrätysastia, roskakori
  • kierrätysastiacontainer
  • roskakori(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
French corbeille
  • corbeillecontainer
German Papierkorb, Papierkorb
  • Papierkorbcontainer
  • Papierkorb(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Hindi पुनर्चक्रण पात्र
  • पुनर्चक्रण पात्र (punarcakraṇ pātra)container
Hungarian lomtár, hulladékgyűjtő
  • lomtárcontainer
  • hulladékgyűjtőcontainer
  • lomtár(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Japanese ごみ箱
  • ごみ箱 (gomibako)(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Korean 휴지통
  • 휴지통 (hyujitong)container
Norwegian papirkurv
  • papirkurvcontainer
Polish kosz
  • kosz(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Portuguese reciclagem
  • reciclagem(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Romanian coș de reciclare, coș de gunoi
  • coș de reciclarecontainer
  • coș de gunoi(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Russian му́сорная корзи́на, корзи́на
  • му́сорная корзи́на (músornaja korzína)container
  • корзи́на (korzína)container
  • му́сорная корзи́на (músornaja korzína)(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Spanish papelera de reciclaje
  • papelera de reciclaje(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Swedish papperskorg, soptunna
  • papperskorgcontainer
  • soptunnacontainer
  • återvinningscontainercontainer
  • papperskorg(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Thai ถังรีไซเคิล
  • ถังรีไซเคิล (tǎng-rii-sai-kə̂n)(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Turkish geri dönüşüm kutusu, geri dönüşüm kutusu
  • geri dönüşüm kutusucontainer
  • geri dönüşüm kutusu(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Ukrainian кошик
  • кошик (košyk)(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Vietnamese thùng rác
  • thùng rác(computing) in Microsoft Windows, a storage location for deleted files
Cite this entry
APA

recycle bin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recycle%20bin

MLA

“recycle bin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recycle%20bin. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “recycle bin,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recycle%20bin.

Source: recycle bin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.