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

The update also brings along the handful of new Unicode 16.0 emoji, a separate app for managing a Vision Pro headset (similar to the companion app for the Apple Watch), and a grab bag of other fixes and minor enhancements. —ArsTechnica, 31 Mar. 2025

His team has put forward not a comprehensive economic plan but a grab bag of proposals for tax cuts, tariffs, and financial deregulation. —Mariana Mazzucato, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025

There will also be exciting opportunity drawings and grab bags. —Sharon Hlapcich, Orange County Register, 20 Feb. 2025

Young enthusiasts can start their own collection with $1 grab bags filled with eight minerals. —Laura Daily and Bryan K. Chavez, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for grab bag

• airbag
• handbag
• ragtag
• sandbag
• ag
• brag
• dag
• drag
• flag
• gag
• hag
• hagg