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
With so much unfinished business and time running short, turning the defense bill into a grab bag can be a slippery slope.
—
Peter Sullivan, Axios, 23 Sep. 2024
But a grab bag of authoritarian regimes around the world (notably Russia, China, and Iran) and rhetorically leftist regimes in the region (Nicaragua, Honduras, Cuba, and Bolivia) have applauded Maduro’s reconsecration in power.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2024
Further Reading iPhone 15 and 15 Pro review: The final form
The iPhone 16 and 16 Pro are expected to continue this pacing, with a grab bag of improvements to existing features but nothing too radical.
—Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 5 Sep. 2024
There’s a grab bag of other stuff, too, most notably an expansion of financial aid for first-time home buyers.
—Binyamin Appelbaum, The Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grab bag 
Peter Sullivan, Axios, 23 Sep. 2024
But a grab bag of authoritarian regimes around the world (notably Russia, China, and Iran) and rhetorically leftist regimes in the region (Nicaragua, Honduras, Cuba, and Bolivia) have applauded Maduro’s reconsecration in power.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2024
Further Reading iPhone 15 and 15 Pro review: The final form
The iPhone 16 and 16 Pro are expected to continue this pacing, with a grab bag of improvements to existing features but nothing too radical.
—Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 5 Sep. 2024
There’s a grab bag of other stuff, too, most notably an expansion of financial aid for first-time home buyers.
—Binyamin Appelbaum, The Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grab bag
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grab bag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 5 Nov. 2024.
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