basket

American  

[bas-kit] / ˈbæs kɪt /

noun

• baskets
  plural

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• baskets
  plural

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

See Examples For:

basket baskets

She animatedly talked to a teal spinning cat track toy, while polydactyl-toed kitty Orbitz lounged behind her in a basket.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Finance officials from both sides signaled readiness to intervene further if needed but the yen remains historically weak against the dollar and a broader basket of currencies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Seeing eggs, rice, yogurt in writing makes it easier to recognize what a bunch of greens or a basket of cucumbers could become—and easier to pivot when the ingredient I imagined isn’t there.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

“But that’s also why we entertain a lot at home. I now have a phone basket that I use to take everyone’s phones away!”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

Bernadette puts a basket in front of her.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Since the markets are so unpredictable, it makes sense to divide your eggs among many baskets rather than bet on just one.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

By then, the baskets had been picked over.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

Divers’ primary tool was a vacuum-like system called a dredge, which sucked up sediment from inside the wreck and deposited it into baskets on the sea floor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

The researchers placed two of these baskets opposite one another.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

While it was cold, baskets of all shapes and sizes, some with handles, some not, piled up in all the rooms in our house.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

Related Words

• box
• crate