bassinet
Americannoun
-
a basket with a hood over one end, for use as a baby's cradle.
-
a style of perambulator resembling this.
-
Armor. basinet.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bassinet
Explanation
A bassinet is a small basket used as a bed for a baby. A bassinet is portable, making it easy to carry the baby around. The et ending in bassinet is a clue that this is something small, specifically a small basket used for carrying a baby. The baby also can sleep in the bassinet. Like baby clothes, the bassinet will be quickly outgrown, but it's very helpful for awhile. A bassinet is a common present for a mother to receive at a baby shower. Awwww.
Vocabulary lists containing bassinet
A Raisin in the Sun
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Ottoman Empire: Furniture Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Little Fires Everywhere
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Shen bought a used bassinet — which retails for $300 new — for $30, for example.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 14, 2026
As the Eaton fire raged, lashing palm trees and devouring the Craftsmans of our L.A. neighbors, our daughter slept in her bassinet, unaware of airborne toxins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025
For example, some families may not have the means to purchase a crib or bassinet; a hospital might direct them to resources to help with that.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 22, 2024
Is the toddler photographed by Peter Magubane with his arms outstretched in a wicker bassinet really preaching, as the title says, to the crowd of babies in a South African orphanage?
From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2024
I see back through the dissolving photograph, myself and father leaning over a bassinet.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
![]()
He learned to never sit near the bulkhead where bassinets frequently were placed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
The Baby Industrial Complex will convince you that you need six different kinds of bassinets, co-sleepers, etc.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2023
“We had bassinets in the back of the tour bus,” James said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2023
It requires any product designed for sleeping babies to meet within one year the mandatory federal standards already in place for cribs, bassinets, bedside sleepers and play yards.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2021
Aaron and Evan slept in their little bassinets.
From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake
![]()
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.