basket

American  

[bas-kit] / ˈbæs kɪt /

noun

1. a container made of twigs, rushes, thin strips of wood, or other flexible material woven together.

2. a container made of pieces of thin veneer, used for packing berries, vegetables, etc.

3. the amount contained in a basket; a basketful.

   to pick a basket of apples.

4. anything like a basket in shape or use.

   He never empties my wastepaper basket.

5. any group of things or different things grouped as a unit; a package; package deal.

   You can't buy the single stock; you have to take the basket—all companies, stocks and bonds.

6. the car or gondola suspended beneath a balloon, as for carrying passengers or scientific instruments into the atmosphere.

7. Basketball.

   1. an open net suspended from a metal rim attached to the backboard and through which the ball must pass in order for a player to score points.

   2. a score, counting two for a field goal and one for a free throw.

8. Also called snow ring.  Skiing. a ring strapped to the base of a ski pole to limit penetration of the pole in the snow.

9. Slang: Vulgar. the male genitals, especially when outlined by a tight-fitting garment.

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basket British  

/ ˈbɑːskɪt /

noun

1. a container made of interwoven strips of pliable materials, such as cane, straw, thin wood, or plastic, and often carried by means of a handle or handles

2. Also called: basketful.  the amount a basket will hold

3. something resembling such a container in appearance or function, such as the structure suspended from a balloon

4. basketball

   1. an open horizontal metal hoop fixed to the backboard, through which a player must throw the ball to score points

   2. a point or points scored in this way

5. a group or collection of similar of related things

   a basket of currencies

6. informal a euphemism for bastard bastard

7. the list of items an internet shopper chooses to buy at one time from a website

   add these items to your basket

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basket Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing basket

• put all one's eggs in one basket

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• basketlike
  adjective
• unbasketlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of basket

1250–1300; Middle English basket ( te ) < early Romance *baskauta (> French dialect bâchot, bachou wooden or interwoven vessel, Old High German baskiza box) < Latin bascauda basin, perhaps < British Celtic

Explanation

A basket is a container made of woven straw or other material. You might keep your dirty clothes in a plastic laundry basket. There are many different types of baskets, from the shopping basket you carry in a grocery store to the basket you aim for when you throw a basketball. There are figurative baskets, too, like the basket you add items to when you're shopping online. What's known about the origin of basket is that it comes from the Anglo-French bascat — beyond that, it's a mystery.

Example Sentences

Caravaggio’s “Boy With a Basket of Fruit,” one of his most dazzlingly beautiful juvenilia, bears the sumptuous hallmarks of his bold style and technique, in which he eschewed drawing to paint directly on canvas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

The Deluxe Fresh Fruit Basket includes quite the assortment, from Royal Riviera pears to mangos, pineapple, kiwi, apples, baby bananas, and even an avocado.

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025

Basket Zaragoza’s general manager, Jose Artigas, wrote in an email to The Times that the 7-foot-3 Mara remained under contract with the team, intimating that he should not be allowed to play elsewhere.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2023

They were performing Basket Case by Green Day in a London pub when the band's frontman Billie Joe Armstrong made an unexpected appearance.

From BBC • May 15, 2023

This was not only the Welcome Cabin—it was the home of the Forbidden Basket.

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth

Related Words

• box
• crate