grab bag

See synonyms for grab bag on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a container or receptacle from which a person at a party or the like draws a gift without knowing what it is.

  2. any miscellaneous collection.

Origin of grab bag

1
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use grab bag in a sentence

  • "I have been constructing a grab-bag, and you shall have the first grab;" and Norah brought out a bag made of rainbow ribbons.

  • "If you need anything more in the way of cheer, I will bring forth the grab-bag," said Norah, as she handed Alex some tea.

  • "I don't know what I'll draw out of this grab bag next," and he plunged his arm in again.

    The Opened Shutters | Clara Louise Burnham
  • Then you give the line a quick jerk, and pull in, hand over hand, and see what you have drawn from the grab-bag.

    Days Off | Henry Van Dyke

British Dictionary definitions for grab bag

grab bag

noun
  1. a collection of miscellaneous things

  2. US, Canadian and Australian a bag or other container from which gifts are drawn at random

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with grab bag

grab bag

A miscellaneous collection, as in The meeting amounted to a grab bag of petty complaints. This term alludes to a container offered at a party or fair, where one dips in for a party favor or prize without knowing what one will get. [Mid-1800s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.