1. a basket with a carrying handle and a hinged lid, used for food, cutlery, and plates on a picnic: "a picnic hamper"
▪ a basket or box containing food for a special occasion: "a Christmas food hamper"
▪ a large basket with a lid, used for laundry:"a laundry hamper"
Word OriginMiddle English (denoting any large case or casket): from Anglo-Norman French hanaper ‘case for a goblet’, from Old French hanap ‘goblet’, of Germanic origin.