dumpster fire

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdʌmpstəˈfaɪ.ə(ɹ)/, /ˈdʌmpstəˈfaɪə(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈdʌmpstɚˈfaɪəɹ/

Noun

dumpster fire (plural dumpster fires)

1. (US, slang) A chaotic, unpleasant, unmanageable thing, situation, or person; a disaster.
   • 2015, Michael Cosgrove, Imperfect Passage: A Sailing Story of Vision, Terror, and Redemption:

     As honeymoons go, this was a total dumpster fire.

   • 2015 August 28, Kevin Trahan, “The University of Illinois is a dumpster fire”, in insidenu.com, retrieved 27 October 2016:

     Illinois football and the entire university are in a state of mayhem. . . . Illinois athletics is a dumpster fire right now.

   • 2016 July 7, Sean Sullivan, Philip Rucker, “Trump, seeking GOP unity, has tense meeting with Senate Republicans”, in Washington Post, retrieved 27 October 2016:

     [W]ith these two candidates, this election remains a dumpster fire.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see dumpster,‎ fire.

   When the arsonist lit the dumpster, he started a dumpster fire.

Synonyms

• (chaotic, unpleasant and unmanageable thing, situation or person): shemozzle, tire fire

Derived terms

• Trumpster fire

See also

• hot mess
• trash fire
• Appendix:American Dialect Society words of the year

Further reading

• “dumpster fire”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “dumpster fire”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.