basement
noun
base·ment
| \ ˈbās-mənt
\
\
Definition of basement
1
: the part of a building that is wholly or partly below ground level
2
: the ground floor facade or interior in Renaissance architecture
3
: the lowest or fundamental part of something
specifically
: the rocks underlying stratified rocks
4
chiefly New England
: a toilet or washroom especially in a school
5a
: a low state, rank, or condition
With their stock in the basement and red ink all over their balance sheet, many struggling [companies] are finding that fund-raising has become an exceedingly difficult proposition.— Brad Stone
b
: the lowest place in the standings : cellar sense 2
Last year, the Phillies finished in the basement of the NL East with 68 wins, tied with the Cubs for the fewest wins in the league. — Boston Herald
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Other Words from basement
basementless
\ ˈbās-mənt-ləs
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of basement in a Sentence
we store our bicycles in the basement during the winter
the basement of the outdoor fountain needs a lot of restoration work
Recent Examples on the Web
The partially finished basement includes a laundry area. — Jon Gorey, BostonGlobe.com, "For sale: What $450,000 buys you south of Boston," 6 Sep. 2019 Deep in a basement laboratory at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, a conservator and her team are racing to save them. — Los Angeles Times, "Newsletter: Verdict in Ghost Ship trial brings more pain and frustration for families," 6 Sep. 2019 The first was in a basement cafe of the London bookshop where Mr. Litvinenko used to meet his handler from the British secret service. — Alex Marshall, New York Times, "A Murdered Spy’s Widow Relives Her Loss Onstage," 4 Sep. 2019 The top glass portion of the basement door had been shattered. — La Cañada Valley Sun, "Crime Report: 2 Highland Drive homes ransacked the same day," 4 Sep. 2019 That's when the intruder, Reese Keith, broke into the main house through a basement window. — Vic Ryckaert, Indianapolis Star, "The World War II vet was held captive by an escapee. Then he became someone else.," 3 Sep. 2019 But in the decades after the second world war, the profession clawed its way out of the basement and up to extraordinary influence. — The Economist, "When economists ruled the world," 31 Aug. 2019 Thomas, however, was thrown right in at age 12, working in the tiny basement under the restaurant cutting and breading walleye and doing dishes. — Deanna Weniger, Twin Cities, "State Fair businesses say work is all in the family," 31 Aug. 2019 From Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky's attic to Joey's basement, there's a house full of potential characters to dress up as. — Tierney Mcafee, Country Living, "Need a 'Full House' Costume Idea for Halloween? You Got It, Dude!," 31 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'basement.' 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 basement
basement
noun
English Language Learners Definition of basement
: the part of a building that is entirely or partly below the ground
See the full definition for basement in the English Language Learners Dictionary
basement
noun
base·ment
| \ ˈbā-smənt
\
\
Kids Definition of basement
: the part of a building that is partly or entirely below ground level
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