grab bag
nounDefinition of grab bag
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
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Synonyms for grab bag
Synonyms
agglomerate, agglomeration, assortment, clutter, collage, hash, hodgepodge, hotchpotch, jumble, litter, medley, mélange, miscellany, mishmash, mixed bag, motley, muddle, olio, olla podrida, omnium-gatherum, patchwork, potpourri, ragbag, rummage, salmagundi, scramble, shuffle, smorgasbord, tumble, variety, welter
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Examples of grab bag in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And on Saturday, Harrell and other sisters grabbed bags, gloves and blue and gold T-shirts and went out to do some service for their community. — Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Washington Post, "‘Add “performing community service while Black” to the list of things that make you suspicious’," 15 May 2018 Don't be too quick to dismiss the $2-a-pop grab bags, which are usually on display toward the front of the store. — Beth Kaufman, Good Housekeeping, "9 Money-Saving Secrets for Shopping at Michaels," 11 Feb. 2016 Charles Mingus perhaps came closest to turning a grab bag of approaches, from Dixieland to atonality, into a unified jazz stance. — Ted Gioia, WSJ, "‘Heaven and Earth’ by Kamasi Washington Review: Musical Miracle Worker?," 20 June 2018 After Parkland, President Trump offered a grab bag of solutions: strengthen background checks, ban bump stocks, arm teachers. — Haley Sweetland Edwards, Time, "School Shootings Are Becoming the New Normal," 22 May 2018 The National Transportation Safety Board has identified four incidents in recent years where passengers grabbing bags hampered an evacuation. — Doug Cameron, WSJ, "Southwest Accident Shows Passengers Unprepared for Emergencies," 19 Apr. 2018 The supremely sarcastic superhero known for his maximum effort and love of Juice Newton and Salt-N-Pepa is back with another grab bag of classic hits and new bangers on Deadpool 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, "'Deadpool 2' Soundtrack Features Celine Dion, Run the Jewels, Lil Pump, Diplo, Air Supply," 3 May 2018 Having allergic asthma, however, means your body might pull from a grab bag of symptoms, mixing and matching in a way that causes overlap between typical asthma and allergy signs. — Korin Miller, SELF, "5 Facts About Allergic Asthma, Which Is Just the Worst," 11 May 2018 From this grab bag, Hill identified 20 carved wooden objects that served as the seats of whaling boats. — Krista Langlois, Smithsonian, "Why Scientists Are Starting to Care About Cultures Who Talk to Whales," 6 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grab bag.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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