basket

[bas-kit]

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.

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

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

Other Word Forms

• basketlike adjective
• unbasketlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of basket¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of basket¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

• put all one's eggs in one basket

Example Sentences

And although the government offers bonuses to retirees and public workers, the money is still not enough to cover the basic food basket.

Read more on BBC

Target’s basket, designed to feed four for under $20, includes a frozen turkey, gravy, stuffing mix and potatoes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In Mr. Serrano’s telling, the shot resembled a “meteor falling from space” before it zipped through the basket as the Philadelphia 76ers star “casually walked away from the play.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The dollar turned lower against a basket of currencies after data showed U.S. employers added more jobs than anticipated in September but the unemployment rate unexpectedly ticked up.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

—The U.S. dollar rose against a basket of major currencies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• box 
• crate