basket

[ bas-kit ]
See synonyms for basket on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. the amount contained in a basket; a basketful: to pick a basket of apples.

  2. anything like a basket in shape or use: He never empties my wastepaper basket.

  3. 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.

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

  5. Basketball.

    • 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.

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

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

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

Origin of basket

1
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

Other words from basket

  • bas·ket·like, adjective
  • un·bas·ket·like, adjective

Words Nearby basket

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use basket in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for basket

basket

/ (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

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

  2. basketball

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

    • a point or points scored in this way

  3. a group or collection of similar of related things: a basket of currencies

  4. the list of items an internet shopper chooses to buy at one time from a website: add these items to your basket

Origin of basket

1
C13: probably from Old Northern French baskot (unattested), from Latin bascauda basketwork holder, of Celtic origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with basket

basket

In addition to the idiom beginning with basket

  • basket case

also see:

  • put all one's eggs in one basket

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.