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

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1