basket case

noun

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of basket case

1 : a person who has all four limbs amputated

2 : a person who is mentally incapacitated or worn out (as from nervous tension); also : one that is not functioning well or is in a run-down condition

an economic basket case

See basket case defined for English-language learners

Examples of basket case in a Sentence

I was so worried about losing my job that I was a complete basket case.
a business that was once very successful but is now a financial basket case

Recent Examples of basket case from the Web

Not even close to an economic basket case among them.

— WSJ, "Many Countries Really Are True Believers in Free Trade," 21 Mar. 2018
Europe, long the basket case of the world economy, is now a leader in expansion.

— peter s. goodman, New York Times, "Populism Is Waning, Which Is Reason to Party in Davos," 22 Jan. 2018
But 19 years of economic missteps and corruption — first under Hugo Chávez, who died in 2013, and now under Maduro — have turned the nation into the region’s economic basket case.

— jim wyss, miamiherald, "Venezuelans are hungry but country won't accept aid | Miami Herald," 8 Feb. 2018
Particularly vulnerable are those paying higher local income taxes, most of them living in and around the big coastal metros and the Midwest’s new basket case, Chicago.

— joel kotkin, National Review, "Playgrounds for Elites," 12 Dec. 2017
In the economic basket case that is Venezuela, these are the hot new consumer products.

— patricia laya, Bloomberg.com, "Never Heard of Hoed & Shouders? It’s a Top Seller in Venezuela," 8 Dec. 2017
In the economic basket case that is Venezuela, these are the hot new consumer products.

— Fortune, "Chinese Knockoff Brands Are Taking Inflation-Ravaged Venezuela By Storm," 8 Dec. 2017
Almost everywhere in the world – even in economic basket cases such as Brazil and Russia – growth is picking up.

— laurent belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, "World's economies grow in sync, but US and Europe lag behind," 21 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'basket case.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of basket case

1919

BASKET CASE Defined for English Language Learners

basket case

noun

Definition of basket case for English Language Learners

: a person who is very nervous, tired, etc., and is not able to think or act normally
: something (such as a company or a government) that is in very bad condition and close to failure