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handbasket

American

[hand-bas-kit, -bah-skit] / ˈhændˌbæs kɪt, -ˌbɑ skɪt /

noun

a small basket with a handle for carrying by hand.

idioms

go to hell in a handbasket, to degenerate quickly and decisively.

The economy has gone to hell in a handbasket.

Etymology

Origin of handbasket

First recorded in 1485–95; hand + 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.

See Examples For:

handbasket

This is, as best we can tell, what hell looks like from a handbasket.

From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026

Lots of well-to-do folks say that L.A. has gone to hell in a handbasket.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Its bestselling handbasket tote requires a larger protective box to preserve its structured wicker shape.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026

"I think they thought they could control it, and they realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to hell in a handbasket if the truth about his death got out," he contended.

From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2023

That was all very well and good, but just what was the handbasket made of?

From Occasion for Disaster by Garrett, Randall

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023