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:
Foreign exchange markets were volatile, with the U.S. dollar strengthening to a three-month high against a basket of global currencies, while the euro hit a 16-month low against the dollar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The dollar jumped to its highest level since April 2025 against a basket of currencies, deriving continued support from the prospect of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates further.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
As Cunningham protested the call, Wilson walked over to a Fever fan who had been standing in front of his seat in the second row behind the basket and pointing in Wilson’s direction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
Redick said he plans to use Kessler similarly to how the San Antonio Spurs deploy defensive player of the year Victor Wembanyama: low and near the basket.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
I tied him in the basket of the sled with a short piece of line to his collar.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
These highly detailed tableaux of laundromats speak to immigrant life as characters from East Asian mythology and Mexican traditions tumble around washers, buy detergent from vending machines, and mingle in laundry baskets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Toy baskets are labeled in English, Spanish and Mandarin for transitional kindergarten students at a dual language Head Start program at Hillcrest Elementary School in Monterey Park on Aug. 21.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Hanging baskets and neat front gardens line the bay windows of 1930s semi-detached homes.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 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
We just took off in our dirty work clothes and Wellington boots with our farm baskets on our heads.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
