basket
Americannoun
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baskets
plural
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a container made of twigs, rushes, thin strips of wood, or other flexible material woven together.
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a container made of pieces of thin veneer, used for packing berries, vegetables, etc.
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the amount contained in a basket; a basketful.
to pick a basket of apples.
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anything like a basket in shape or use.
He never empties my wastepaper basket.
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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.
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the car or gondola suspended beneath a balloon, as for carrying passengers or scientific instruments into the atmosphere.
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Basketball.
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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.
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a score, counting two for a field goal and one for a free throw.
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Also called snow ring. Skiing. a ring strapped to the base of a ski pole to limit penetration of the pole in the snow.
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Slang: Vulgar. the male genitals, especially when outlined by a tight-fitting garment.
noun
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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
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Also called: basketful. the amount a basket will hold
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something resembling such a container in appearance or function, such as the structure suspended from a balloon
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basketball
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an open horizontal metal hoop fixed to the backboard, through which a player must throw the ball to score points
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a point or points scored in this way
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a group or collection of similar of related things
a basket of currencies
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the list of items an internet shopper chooses to buy at one time from a website
add these items to your basket
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The dollar strengthened further against a basket of currencies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
“We look at him as someone we want close to the basket, protecting the rim. He’s been an excellent rebounder throughout his career, both offensively and defensively.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
"That £5 can buy something like a brand new mattress for a Moses basket."
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
The prospect of further rate hikes strengthened the dollar, which held close to an eight-week high against a basket of currencies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Two of the dogs he carried in the basket and one limped along behind him.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
Hanging baskets and neat front gardens line the bay windows of 1930s semi-detached homes.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Survivors were hauled back up in baskets into the helicopter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
Wooden baskets swinging behind them, the Flemings and Schifferles darted between trees, dug through patches of ivy and peered beneath shrubs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
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
Our table has devoured three baskets of them and we haven’t even ordered yet.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
