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Synonyms

breadbasket

American  
[bred-bas-kit, -bah-skit] / ˈbrɛdˌbæs kɪt, -ˌbɑ skɪt /

noun

  1. a basket or similar container for bread or rolls.

  2. an agricultural area that provides large amounts of food, especially grain, to other areas.

  3. Slang. a person's stomach or abdomen.

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a geographical breadbasket.

    Iowa is a breadbasket state.
breadbasket British  
/ ˈbrɛdˌbɑːskɪt /

noun

  1. a basket for carrying bread or rolls

  2. a slang word for stomach

"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

Etymology

Origin of breadbasket

First recorded in 1545–55; bread + basket

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.

Experts warned that Ukraine is Europe’s breadbasket and Europe would starve.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

Holguín was once known as the breadbasket of Cuba because of its rich agricultural land.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026

By late August, further south in the province of Punjab, floods had submerged 4,500 villages, overwhelming "Pakistan's breadbasket", in a country that can't always afford to import enough food.

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025

The region is Italy’s breadbasket, typically producing more durum wheat than any other part of the country, and locals often eat pasta twice a day.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

By sunset, though, the forest has disappeared, replaced by rolling wheat fields and cow pastures: Normandy, breadbasket and butter churn of France.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

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.