wastebasket

noun

waste·​bas·​ket ˈwās(t)-ˌba-skət How to pronounce wastebasket (audio)
: a receptacle for refuse and especially for wastepaper

called also wastepaper basket

Examples of wastebasket in a Sentence

She tossed the wrapper into the wastebasket.
Recent Examples on the Web When her creations meet their demise, the result doesn’t necessarily wind up in a wastebasket. Paul Nicolaus, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Jan. 2024 This trend should be in the same wastebasket as mullets, microwave dinners and inflated lips. Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2024 At the end of a hallway, the final office on the left contained a desk, a wastebasket and a television. David Ingram, NBC News, 3 Aug. 2023 The note drew 16 thumbs down emoji, 11 wastebasket emoji, six clown emoji, two face palm emoji and two poop emoji, according to screenshots of the Slack conversation. Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 8 July 2023 Icons Small graphic images on a computer screen that represent functions or programs; for example, a wastebasket designates a delete operation. IEEE Spectrum, 2 July 2023 The intake area should include handwashing stations or hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol, along with tissues and wastebaskets. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 31 May 2023 Whatever is in the wastebasket. Washington Post, 28 Apr. 2021 Police said the only sign of struggle was an overturned wastebasket. Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 6 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wastebasket.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wastebasket was in 1850

Dictionary Entries Near wastebasket

Cite this Entry

“Wastebasket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wastebasket. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wastebasket

noun
waste·​bas·​ket ˈwās(t)-ˌbas-kət How to pronounce wastebasket (audio)
: an open container for trash and especially wastepaper

More from Merriam-Webster on wastebasket

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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