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Synonyms

breadbasket

American  
[bred-bas-kit, -bah-skit] / ˈbrɛdˌbæs kɪt, -ˌbɑ skɪt /

noun

  1. a basket or similar container for bread or rolls.

  2. an agricultural area that provides large amounts of food, especially grain, to other areas.

  3. Slang. a person's stomach or abdomen.

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a geographical breadbasket.

    Iowa is a breadbasket state.
breadbasket British  
/ ˈbrɛdˌbɑːskɪt /

noun

  1. a basket for carrying bread or rolls

  2. a slang word for stomach

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of breadbasket

First recorded in 1545–55; bread + basket

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Experts warned that Ukraine is Europe’s breadbasket and Europe would starve.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

Holguín was once known as the breadbasket of Cuba because of its rich agricultural land.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026

"Saint Elizabeth is the breadbasket of the country, and that has taken a beating. The entire Jamaica has felt the brunt of Melissa."

From Barron's • Oct. 29, 2025

The region is Italy’s breadbasket, typically producing more durum wheat than any other part of the country, and locals often eat pasta twice a day.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

But the boy, Willie Hyde, was given to snatching the last of the loaf as he carried the breadbasket from the table to the kitchen.

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.