basket

Meanings

1. A container, often made of woven material, used for carrying or holding things.
2. The hoop and net in basketball.

Example sentences

• "She put the apples in a basket."

  Level A1, Meaning 1

• "The picnic basket was full of sandwiches."

  Level A1, Meaning 1

• "He threw the ball into the basket."

  Level A2, Meaning 2

• "Add the shoes to your basket and pay."

  Level A2, Meaning 1

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• bag : A bag is soft and closes at the top. A basket is stiff and open.
• box : A box has flat sides and a lid. A basket has an open top and woven sides.

Word family and forms

Forms: baskets

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "basket".

• a shopping basket
• a picnic basket
• a laundry basket
• a basket of fruit
• an Easter basket
• a gift basket

Idioms and phrases

put all your eggs in one basket

To risk everything on one plan.

"Do not put all your eggs in one basket when you invest."

Origin

Basket came into English in the 1200s and 1300s from Anglo-Norman baschet and from Latin bascauda, a word for a basin or a vessel that may come from a Celtic language of Britain. The earlier origin is not certain. It replaced older English words for a woven container.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Basket has a bas and a ket. Remember: a basket is for bread, apples and other things you carry.

Test yourself

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