grab bag
noun
1
: a receptacle (such as a bag) containing small articles which are to be drawn (as at a party or fair) without being seen
2
: a miscellaneous collection : potpourri
Synonyms
- agglomerate
- agglomeration
- alphabet soup
- assortment
- botch
- clutter
- collage
- crazy quilt
- farrago
- gallimaufry
- gumbo
- hash
- hodgepodge
- hotchpotch
- jambalaya
- jumble
- jungle
- litter
- macédoine
- medley
- mélange
- menagerie
- miscellanea
- miscellany
- mishmash
- mixed bag
- montage
- motley
- muddle
- olio
- olla podrida
- omnium-gatherum
- pastiche
- patchwork
- patchwork quilt
- potpourri
- ragbag
- ragout
- rummage
- salad
- salmagundi
- scramble
- shuffle
- smorgasbord
- stew
- tumble
- variety
- welter
Examples of grab bag in a Sentence
Congress has proposed a grab bag of tax cuts.
the festival featured a grab bag of independent films from widely disparate genres
Recent Examples on the Web
Origin is a collection of ideas, of scenes and snatches both personal and historical, even a couple of interviews — a grab bag that, on paper, probably shouldn’t work.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 June 2024
Others have been more of a grab bag, such as a 2004 master’s from Dartmouth, for which Bolger studied Iranian sociology and the poetry of Robert Frost.
—Joseph Bernstein Robert Petkoff Krish Seenivasan Devin Murphy, New York Times, 3 June 2024
Another reader offered a delicious grab bag of restaurant recommendations.
—Amanda Yeager, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2024
Among ThyssenKrupp’s grab bag of businesses was a world-leading supplier of equipment for making chlorine, a chemical with many uses including in drinking water and swimming pools.
—Melissa Eddy, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grab bag 
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 June 2024
Others have been more of a grab bag, such as a 2004 master’s from Dartmouth, for which Bolger studied Iranian sociology and the poetry of Robert Frost.
—Joseph Bernstein Robert Petkoff Krish Seenivasan Devin Murphy, New York Times, 3 June 2024
Another reader offered a delicious grab bag of restaurant recommendations.
—Amanda Yeager, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2024
Among ThyssenKrupp’s grab bag of businesses was a world-leading supplier of equipment for making chlorine, a chemical with many uses including in drinking water and swimming pools.
—Melissa Eddy, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grab bag
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grab bag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near grab bag
Cite this Entry
“Grab bag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grab%20bag. Accessed 18 Jun. 2024.
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