Meaning & use
waste paper basket
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableBritish
A small open container kept in a room, especially an office or bedroom, for throwing away scraps of paper and other light rubbish.
Grammar: A normal countable noun: a waste paper basket, two waste paper baskets.
Patterns
- throw something in the waste paper basket
- empty the waste paper basket
He crumpled the letter and tossed it into the waste paper basket.
The cleaner empties every waste paper basket in the office at night.
A wire waste paper basket stood beside her desk.
Word forms
| plural | waste paper baskets |
|---|
Common combinations
- empty the waste paper basket
- Please empty the waste paper basket before you leave.
- throw something in the waste paper basket
- She threw the draft in the waste paper basket.
- a full waste paper basket
- A full waste paper basket sat by the printer.
- under the desk
- The waste paper basket was under the desk.
- a wicker waste paper basket
- They bought a wicker waste paper basket for the study.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wastebasket
- Wastebasket is the usual American form, while waste paper basket sounds more British and a little old-fashioned.
- bin
- Bin is the general British word for any rubbish container, including big outdoor ones, while a waste paper basket is small and indoors.
- trash can
- Trash can is American and often refers to a larger container for kitchen or outdoor waste.
Word family
Commonly confused: waste paper basket or recycling bin?
waste paper basket vs recycling bin
A recycling bin is for materials that will be reused, while a waste paper basket takes ordinary rubbish.
Practice
After reading the junk mail, she dropped all of it into the ___ beside her desk.
Choose one answer.
A waste paper basket is for throwing away paper. A filing cabinet stores papers you keep, and a picnic basket and paper clip do not hold rubbish.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “waste paper basket”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.