waste-paper basket
- noun
- UK
:
papelera
- The office was tidy, with each waste-paper basket neatly filled with crumpled paper.
She'll put a waste paper basket on the table filled with papers.
- She'll put a waste paper basket on the table filled with papers.
Examples
-
I pulled the $350,000 string of pearls out of the waste-paper basket and said, "Here, dearest, you take them back to whoever from Chicago they belong to, "and tell him, tell them all, that Daisy's changed her mind."
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She'll put a waste paper basket on the table filled with papers.
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I always keep a little waste paper basket or grocery bag nearby for tissues.
Blog text (27) -
She shut the paper, folded it in two, and pitched it at the waste-paper basket.
Blog text (7) -
She threw the used papers into the waste-paper basket next to her desk.
-
He always keeps a waste-paper basket nearby to collect discarded notes and drafts.
Synonyms
288
1.0
A container made by weaving thin pieces of material with handles for carrying things
72
1.0
A container for holding rubbish until it is collected
60
1.0
A bin with a lid that holds household waste until someone takes it away
15
1.0
A container with an open top for holding paper and small bits of rubbish
4
1.0
A container for holding rubbish until it is taken away
3
1.6
A bin with an open top for throwing away paper and small rubbish
2
1.3
A container with an open top for small trash like paper
A bin for rubbish kept until it is collected
A bin in public places where people put trash
A bin in public places for people to put rubbish in
A bin in public places where people put rubbish
A joke name for a wastebasket where unwanted papers go
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
waste-paper + basket
The meaning 'a small container for discarded paper' is directly compositional from 'waste' + 'paper' + 'basket' (a basket for waste paper). This is a straightforward compound noun following normal English compounding patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Waste-paper basket comes from the simple idea of a small basket for waste paper kept by a desk. Imagine throwing used notes into that open basket, and you see why it means 'a small open container for thrown-away paper'.