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basket

/ˈbæskət/
/ˈbɑskɪt/
IPA guide

Other forms: baskets

A basket is a container made of woven straw or other material. You might keep your dirty clothes in a plastic laundry basket.

There are many different types of baskets, from the shopping basket you carry in a grocery store to the basket you aim for when you throw a basketball. There are figurative baskets, too, like the basket you add items to when you're shopping online. What's known about the origin of basket is that it comes from the Anglo-French bascat — beyond that, it's a mystery.

Definitions of basket
  1. noun
    a container that is usually woven and has handles
    synonyms: handbasket
    see moresee less
    types:
    breadbasket
    a basket for serving bread
    bushel basket
    a basket large enough to hold a bushel
    creel
    a wicker basket used by anglers to hold fish
    frail
    a basket for holding dried fruit (especially raisins or figs)
    hamper
    a basket usually with a cover
    punnet
    a small light basket used as a measure for fruits
    shopping basket
    a handbasket used to carry goods while shopping
    skep
    a large round wicker basket (used on farms)
    wicker basket
    a basket made of wickerwork
    clothes basket, clothes hamper, laundry basket, voider
    a hamper that holds dirty clothes to be washed or wet clothes to be dried
    food hamper
    a hamper for packing and transporting food
    pannier
    a large basket (usually one of a pair) carried by a beast of burden or on by a person
    type of:
    container
    any object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another)
  2. noun
    the quantity contained in a basket
    synonyms: basketful
    see moresee less
    type of:
    containerful
    the quantity that a container will hold
  3. noun
    horizontal circular metal hoop supporting a net through which players try to throw the basketball
    synonyms: basketball hoop, hoop
    see moresee less
    type of:
    basketball equipment
    sports equipment used in playing basketball
    goal
    game equipment consisting of the place toward which players of a game try to advance a ball or puck in order to score points
  4. noun
    a score in basketball made by throwing the ball through the hoop
    synonyms: field goal
    see moresee less
    type of:
    score
    the act of scoring in a game or sport
Pronunciation
US
/ˈbæskət/
UK
/ˈbɑskɪt/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘basket'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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