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grab bag
noun
1
: a receptacle (such as a bag) containing small articles which are to be drawn (as at a party or fair) without being seen
2
: a miscellaneous collection : potpourri
Synonyms
- agglomerate
- agglomeration
- alphabet soup
- assortment
- botch
- clutter
- collage
- crazy quilt
- farrago
- gallimaufry
- gumbo
- hash
- hodgepodge
- hotchpotch
- jambalaya
- jumble
- jungle
- litter
- macédoine
- medley
- mélange
- menagerie
- miscellanea
- miscellany
- mishmash
- mixed bag
- montage
- motley
- muddle
- olio
- olla podrida
- omnium-gatherum
- pastiche
- patchwork
- patchwork quilt
- potpourri
- ragbag
- ragout
- rummage
- salad
- salmagundi
- scramble
- shuffle
- smorgasbord
- stew
- tumble
- variety
- welter
Examples of grab bag in a Sentence
Congress has proposed a grab bag of tax cuts.
the festival featured a grab bag of independent films from widely disparate genres
Recent Examples on the Web
The big picture: The executive order is a grab bag of projects that the administration had been working on based on its time fighting a large number of high-profile hacks, including SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline.
—
Sam Sabin, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025
These also make excellent white elephant or grab bag gifts.
—
Amanda Lauren, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024
And state laws are a grab bag of various rules, mostly focused on data privacy in general.
—
Bernard Condon, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2025
Sprinkled in amongst the album reviews are grab bag episodes discussing the latest happenings in the music industry, from award nomination rundowns to this summer’s Kamala/Brat crossover.
—
Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Dec. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near grab bag
Cite this Entry
“Grab bag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grab%20bag. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
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