1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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
  • Olivia Colman is a smelly medieval fisherwoman who marries—checks notes—a basket?
    — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Check basket capacity too, since countertop units make and store ice but generally won’t keep it frozen indefinitely.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of basket
Noun
  • There’s a clear-glass bong and a grinder full of dank green bud on the table near the espresso machine, along with a carton of oat milk.
    — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Anderson noted that whole milk cartons cost two-and-a-half cents more per carton, which can add up when buying milk in bulk for thousands of students each day.
    — Morgan Matzen, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of carton
Noun
  • The albums are housed in a black and silver custom archival crate.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2026
  • So, experts designed a special crate suspended in a metal cage to keep the object steady and cool in the back of a truck.
    — Mark Rice-Oxley, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of crate
Noun
  • Kerns surrounded the dead baby in linens and placed him in a laundry bin, cleaned the room and returned to work.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2026
  • There are plenty of storage cubes on sale, like this $22 six-pack and these cloth storage bins that sold 9,000 times last month.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of bin
Noun
  • The group then reconvened at the Glendale cemetery, where a priest said prayers over the casket, which was gently lowered into the ground as teary-eyed friends and family members watched.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • When his body was found, Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral.
    — Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of casket
Noun
  • In my dream, the woman with the shape of Kiju’s hand imprinted on her cheek was using a hatchet, slamming it into the trunk over and over again, her neatly coiffed hair loose and knotted.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Here’s why A buck tears into a cedar tree trunk, leaving shavings of bark all around its already scarred base.
    — Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of trunk
Noun
  • Elliss, now with the New Orleans Saints, spent three seasons in Atlanta with a locker next to Robinson’s, trying to see if there were any cracks in the running back’s foundation.
    — Josh Kendall, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • New Dolphins quarterback Brady Cook could sit at his locker in peace on Wednesday because reporters opted to swarm Kyle McCord instead.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 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 20 Sep. 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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of volition

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All