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Definition of wastebasket
wastebasket
/ˈweɪstˌbæs.kɪt/
waste · bas · ket
Plural:wastebaskets
wastebasket Lexical Profile
CEFR
A2
Grade
3
Tier
1
Usage
Top 10k
wastebasket Game Scores & Validity
Scrabble US
Scrabble UK
WWF
Wordle Guess
• noun
1
North American A small open container used for holding discarded paper and other lightweight, dry refuse, typically placed in an office or room.
Example
"She crumpled the ruined draft of her essay and tossed it into the wastebasket."
2
A digital folder or interface element in a computer operating system where deleted files are temporarily stored before they are permanently erased.
Example
"If you accidentally deleted the image, you can still recover it by checking the system's wastebasket."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for wastebasketWord Origin & Etymology
Coined in American English in the mid-to-late 19th century as a compound of 'waste' and 'basket', initially referring specifically to a receptacle used in offices for discarded paper.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Wastebasket. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 15, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/wastebasket