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
Musa’s grab bag of inspirations included the Sistine Chapel, the work of architect Addison Mizner, who designed some of the most elegant and impressive homes in Palm Beach, and, for Mar Pietra’s arrival courtyard, the legendary Vizcaya Gardens estate in Coconut Grove.
—
Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2024
Managing sweat and jiggly phallic simulacrums are all part of the grab bag of a body-centric show.
—Rachel Sherman, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
The Republican attorney general of Texas made a similar argument to the Supreme Court, along with a grab bag of other assertions, and asked the Justices to let the legislatures in certain states pick their own electors.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
Well is Musgraves’s ability to take a grab bag of ingredients and references, and fold them effortlessly into the album’s (organic, wholegrain) dough so that the overall texture runs smooth.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 16 Mar. 2024
Both sell a grab bag of typically low-cost and often random stuff directly from vendors that are mostly in China.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
An ideological grab bag Organizers say the Expo was always designed as a clearing house for far out ideas but there have been times when its open-minded, anything-goes attitude has gone too far.
—Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2024
While this may seem like a grab bag of unrelated aspects of cognition, Vinod Menon, the director of the Stanford Cognitive & Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, recently theorized that all of these functions may be helpful in constructing an internal narrative.
—Nora Bradford, WIRED, 3 Mar. 2024
Everyone had a grab bag with their documents at hand, too.
—Oleksandr Chubko, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2024
Managing sweat and jiggly phallic simulacrums are all part of the grab bag of a body-centric show.
—Rachel Sherman, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
The Republican attorney general of Texas made a similar argument to the Supreme Court, along with a grab bag of other assertions, and asked the Justices to let the legislatures in certain states pick their own electors.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
Well is Musgraves’s ability to take a grab bag of ingredients and references, and fold them effortlessly into the album’s (organic, wholegrain) dough so that the overall texture runs smooth.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 16 Mar. 2024
Both sell a grab bag of typically low-cost and often random stuff directly from vendors that are mostly in China.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
An ideological grab bag Organizers say the Expo was always designed as a clearing house for far out ideas but there have been times when its open-minded, anything-goes attitude has gone too far.
—Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2024
While this may seem like a grab bag of unrelated aspects of cognition, Vinod Menon, the director of the Stanford Cognitive & Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, recently theorized that all of these functions may be helpful in constructing an internal narrative.
—Nora Bradford, WIRED, 3 Mar. 2024
Everyone had a grab bag with their documents at hand, too.
—Oleksandr Chubko, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
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 23 Apr. 2024.
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