handbasket

noun

Definition of handbasketnext
as in basket

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of handbasket This all went to hell in a handbasket after Sidious killed Savage and defeated Maul in combat. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 19 May 2026 The world is going to hell in a handbasket. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026 Especially when pressured, or when the pocket goes to holy heck in a handbasket. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 25 Jan. 2026 It’s crouched like a tiger about to spring, cleverly disguising itself as on the verge of a recession so its prey—presumably all the economic experts telling us we’re headed to economic hell in a handbasket—will be caught off-guard. — William W Bedsworth, Oc Register, 4 Jan. 2026 There’s plenty of hell-in-a-handbasket rhetoric about young people today. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2025 Everything has gone to hell in a handbasket as a result of it. — NBC News, 6 Oct. 2024 If the purpose of this essay were to merely shout at the heavens, proclaiming that the world is going to hell in a handbasket because of rampant biblical illiteracy on Earth, many may be tempted to dismiss my concerns — flippantly enough. — Luther Ray Abel, National Review, 17 Sep. 2020 At least as much as an unemployed football coach and his hell-in-a-handbasket Mayberry RFD nostalgia. — al, 10 Dec. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handbasket
  1. basket
  2. carton
  3. crate
  4. bin
  5. casket
  6. trunk
  7. locker
Noun
  • But the gesture erupted into a firestorm of criticism by media and sports fans who believed the uncontested basket meddled with the integrity of the game.
    — Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The Child has placed his foot on the basket of yarns and has grasped the yarnwinder and gazes attentively at the four spokes that are in the form of a cross.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of basket
Noun
  • Her twin brother, Connor (Keen Ruffalo), by contrast, spends his morning teasing Annie and drinking chocolate milk straight from the carton.
    — Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 27 July 2026
  • Consumers should look for identifying code P-1950 or 0840962 and a Julian date between 157 and 184 printed on the side of the carton.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Definition of carton
Noun
  • The atomic bomb in the crate that a helicopter carefully deposits in Carol’s driveway in the last scene?
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Those headlights bookend the front with a grille full of vertical slats on the Q9 and an egg-crate design swapping in on S-Line and more powerful SQ9 models.
    — Joel Feder, The Drive, 29 July 2026
Definition of crate
Noun
  • Last month, the city released a list of the 10 items most frequently placed in recycling bins by mistake.
    — Ryan Macasero, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • To empty the tray, simply slide it out, empty it into a garbage bag or compost bin, and give it a quick hose down.
    — John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of bin
Noun
  • At the end of the ceremony, mourners approached Yarovenko’s casket one by one, laying white flowers beside her.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • What Florida State pulled off in the month of July on the recruiting trail is the college football equivalent of that gif of The Undertaker sitting up in his casket.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of casket
Noun
  • The couple load Burke into the trunk of a car, steal shovels from a store, and bury their victim alive.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Leaning that increases year after year, mushrooms or fungal corks growing at the base of your tree, soft soil around the trunk, and bark damage or cavities at the base can all be symptoms of root damage.
    — Molly Burford, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of trunk
Noun
  • There are hot tubs and cold tubs and a players-only sauna, while every locker is outfitted with a leather zero gravity chair.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • An industry analyst said, however, that Jetstar was the first to charge for use of the overhead lockers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of locker

Browse Nearby Words

handbags
handbasket
handbaskets
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Handbasket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handbasket. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All