A bin is a container used for storing or collecting things. You might toss recyclable bottles into a recycling bin, throw away trash in a garbage bin, or organize toys in a storage bin in your room.

The word often suggests a container that's open at the top, making it easy to drop things in. Stores use bins to display items like apples at the grocery store or toys at a discount shop. Libraries use bins to collect books that need to be reshelved. At home, you might have a bin for dirty laundry or a bin in the garage for sports equipment.

The verb form means to throw something into a bin or to discard it. A teacher might bin old worksheets at the end of the school year. In British English, people often say they'll “bin it” when they mean they're going to throw something away.

In computing, the recycle bin or trash bin is where deleted files go before being permanently removed. Just like a real garbage bin, you can usually retrieve something from your computer's bin if you realize you deleted it by mistake.