wastebasket
noun
a standing basket for wastepaper, small items of trash, etc.
wastebaskets
-
pluralof wastebasket.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
As a housemate, he was catastrophic—overturning wastebaskets, ransacking drawers and drenching manuscripts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
When that happens, residents are forced to defecate in wastebaskets in their rooms and then, he said, take “the walk of shame” to deposit their feces in hallway trash rooms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 16, 2023
She herself had emptied the wastebaskets as a little girl.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 5, 2022
Rainwater often fell through the roof of the Mercury building, forcing employees to use buckets, wastebaskets and even a potted plant to catch the drips.
From New York Times ● Jul. 10, 2020
I emptied the wastebaskets and feather-dusted the desks, which were piled with scattered papers.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
