wicker

American  

[wik-er] / ˈwɪk ər /

noun

1. a slender, pliant twig; osier; withe.

2. plaited or woven twigs or osiers as the material of baskets, chairs, etc.; wickerwork.

3. something made of wickerwork, as a basket.

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adjective

1. consisting or made of wicker.

   a wicker chair.

2. covered with wicker.

   a wicker jug.

wicker British  

/ ˈwɪkə /

noun

1. a slender flexible twig or shoot, esp of willow

2. short for wickerwork

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adjective

1. made, consisting of, or constructed from wicker

Etymology

Origin of wicker

1300–50; Middle English < Scandinavian; compare dialectal Swedish vikker willow. See weak

Explanation

Wicker, a natural material traditionally made from woven branches or reeds, is used for making baskets and lightweight furniture, like the wicker chairs on your patio. Your wicker laundry hamper may be made of rattan, a flexible, woody stem, or bamboo, a sturdy grass. The carefully woven seats of your antique chairs are wicker too. The material used to make them is known by this term, and so is the style and the specific technique of weaving. The word wicker, originally wickerwork, shares a root with Scandinavian words like the Swedish vika, "to bend."

Example Sentences

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

By 1913, Mrs Graham's father's farm would instead slaughter and rough-pluck the birds, putting them on trains in wicker crates to arrive in London a week later.

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2025

Not necessarily a designer one, but a handbag with a strong sense of itself — an acid-green baguette bag, a wicker orb with a padlock, a cheetah-print apothecary satchel.

From Salon • Dec. 20, 2025

When she doesn’t know where to start, sometimes finding a nice wicker basket from the homewares section and filling it with smaller items can make it easier — and offers a nice presentation.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 19, 2025

“You told me you finished packing,” Mamma said, sitting on a wicker chair Dimple had bought at a flea market years ago.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon