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 And in each case, their tradwife-dom went straight to hell in a handbasket. — Christina Wyman, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handbasket
  1. basket
  2. carton
  3. crate
  4. bin
  5. casket
  6. trunk
  7. locker
Noun
  • Then it was hoisted up repeatedly to the helicopter where the crew got each person into the aircraft before lowering the basket again.
    — Jaimie Ding, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The Trail Blazers got off to a hot start in the third quarter with, starting on a 15-0 run, capped off by a 3-point basket by Camara for a 74-64 lead.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of basket
Noun
  • To sum up, the date on a carton of half-and-half is more about peak quality than an exact deadline.
    — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 16 Oct. 2026
  • This latest group of founders stands on the shoulders of giants from the noughties like Spotify, Klarna, and Skype, who themselves took inspiration from the postwar design empires of IKEA, H&M and Tetra Pak (modernizer of the milk carton).
    — Jan Larsson, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of carton
Noun
  • Dealers will be allowed to bring packing crates into the Grand Palais after the fair closes Friday, but no one will be permitted inside on Saturday, sources said.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Noyce, of Fairchild, went to a photography store and found a few serviceable lenses in a crate of antique movie cameras.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of crate
Noun
  • The danger can begin when a battery is placed in a trash or recycling bin, Klein said.
    — Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 28 Oct. 2026
  • And the city has removed many of the huge street-corner bins where Parisians are accustomed to dropping their empty wine and beer bottles.
    — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of bin
Noun
  • Behind them is a black casket with the body of the eponymous Helena.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Mortuary Manor visitors can also watch a horror movie projected onto the wall of the main sitting room while surrounded by caskets.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of casket
Noun
  • Physical description The oyamel fir is characterized by its straight gray trunk and narrow conical crown and typically grows between 40 and 60 meters (130–200 feet) tall.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Becerril had been assaulted before his body was placed in the trunk, according to the CHP.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of trunk
Noun
  • The malicious system component silently installs apps that look like weather tools, app lockers and other everyday utilities.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The flatbed also include's side storage lockers and a long rear drawer for extra cargo space.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 23 Oct. 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 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All