Meaning & use
workbasket
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableold-fashioned
A basket used to hold sewing or knitting materials and small tools.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a workbasket' or 'two workbaskets'.
Patterns
- a workbasket
- in a workbasket
Grandmother kept her needles and threads in a wooden workbasket by the window.
She opened her workbasket and took out a spool of white cotton.
The old workbasket was filled with buttons, pins, and scraps of fabric.
Word forms
| plural | workbaskets |
|---|
Common combinations
- sewing workbasket
- She bought a sewing workbasket at the antique fair.
- keep something in a workbasket
- I keep my scissors in a workbasket so they don't get lost.
- wicker workbasket
- The wicker workbasket was light and easy to carry.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sewing basket
- More common today and clearly indicates sewing; 'workbasket' is broader and can include knitting or other needlework.
- needlework basket
- Similar but slightly more formal; 'workbasket' is an older term that may sound quaint.
Commonly confused: workbasket or wastebasket?
workbasket vs wastebasket
A wastebasket is for trash; a workbasket is for sewing supplies. They sound similar but have very different uses.
Practice
What is a workbasket mainly used for?
Choose one answer.
A workbasket is traditionally used for sewing or knitting items. The other options are for different types of baskets: groceries, files, or trash.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “workbasket”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.