breadbasket

noun

bread·bas·ket | \ ˈbred-ˌba-skət

Definition of breadbasket

1 slang : stomach

2 : a major cereal-producing region

Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about breadbasket

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Did You Know?

Breadbasket has been used as slang in English since at least the mid-1700s. (It has been used even longer to mean literally a basket for holding bread.) It can refer to the stomach as an actual digestive organ ("his breadbasket rumbled with hunger"), but these days it's more commonly applied to the general stomach area ("rested her hands on her breadbasket"). No one is quite sure of the exact origins of the use, but it’s likely that there’s some connection between the basket used to hold bread and the basket where the bread ends up after a person eats it. Breadbasket has also come to refer to an area that supplies an important amount of grain ("the breadbasket of the country").

Examples of breadbasket in a Sentence

the breadbasket of the world The area is becoming the nation's breadbasket.

Recent Examples on the Web

The cornbread with black pepper and cane syrup butter replaces a more traditional breadbasket. — Polly Campbell, Cincinnati.com, "And the best bistros in Greater Cincinnati are ...," 28 Aug. 2019 Ryan Jacobsen, who heads the Fresno County Farm Bureau — a breadbasket area where 350 different crops are grown, contributing a combined total of more than $5.6 billion to the California economy — agrees. — Gabrielle Canon, USA TODAY, "In California, Trump's trade war threatens permanent damage to some agriculture markets," 27 Aug. 2019 Sichuan province, an agricultural powerhouse known as the country’s breadbasket, suffered particularly acutely during the Great Leap Forward, when Mao Zedong’s economic and social reforms devastated farming yields. — Los Angeles Times, "The ultimate mapo tofu recipe has a California twist," 19 Aug. 2019 There’s trade all over the place, and the potential for multi-breadbasket failure is increasing. — NBC News, "Climate change could trigger a global food crisis, new U.N. report says," 8 Aug. 2019 In March 2019, record-breaking floods inundated America's breadbasket, a region that's also a key exporter of corn and soybeans to the world. — Rosa Tuiran, CBS News, ""I'm not a climate change guy, but...": Farmers reckon with new reality in the heartland," 26 July 2019 Sudan wants to divert water into irrigation projects, hoping to become the regional breadbasket. — The Economist, "Pyramid scheme," 6 July 2019 The dinner will be served with a breadbasket of hush puppies and oyster crackers and coffee or tea will be offered afterward. — Rod Stafford Hagwood, sun-sentinel.com, "Dinner and a song at Wick Theatre’s Codfish Ball," 26 June 2019 The sprawling Spanish colonial city of Querétaro, 600 miles northwest of Tabasco, is perched on the edge of Mexico’s historic breadbasket region known as El Bajío. — Robbie Whelan, WSJ, "Two States of Mexico Reveal the Split Driving Sunday’s Presidential Election," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'breadbasket.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for breadbasket

breadbasket

noun

English Language Learners Definition of breadbasket

: a region that provides large amounts of food

See the full definition for breadbasket in the English Language Learners Dictionary

breadbasket

Definition of breadbasket

Synonyms for breadbasket

Did You Know?

Examples of breadbasket in a Sentence

First Known Use of breadbasket

English Language Learners Definition of breadbasket

breadbasket

Definition of breadbasket

Synonyms for breadbasket

Did You Know?

Examples of breadbasket in a Sentence

First Known Use of breadbasket

English Language Learners Definition of breadbasket

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