wastebasket

American  

[weyst-bas-kit, -bah-skit] / ˈweɪstˌbæs kɪt, -ˌbɑ skɪt /

noun

1. a standing basket for wastepaper, small items of trash, etc.

---

wastebasket British  

/ ˈweɪstˌbɑːskɪt /

noun

1. Also called (esp in Britain): wastepaper basket.  an open receptacle for paper and other dry litter

---

Etymology

Origin of wastebasket

First recorded in 1855–60; waste + basket

Example Sentences

He went to Anastasia's room and turned the wastebasket upside down so that he could stand on it and reach her goldfish bowl.

From Literature

He broke his favorite drawing pencil in half and threw it into the wastebasket.

From Literature

Crawl up the wastebasket—oooh, I didn’t know it would sway like that!

From Literature

This trend should be in the same wastebasket as mullets, microwave dinners and inflated lips.

From Los Angeles Times

Last month, in an act of showmanship during a Facebook Live event, Fain condemned a contract proposal from Stellantis as “trash” — and tossed a copy of it into a wastebasket, “where it belongs,” he said.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• dustbin