basement

noun

base·​ment ˈbās-mənt How to pronounce basement (audio)
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
5
a
: 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
basementless 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 From gutter cleaning and preparing your fireplace for winter, to what to do if your basement floods. Contact us: Looking to buy your first home? Michelle Brunner, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 Balazs was an athlete who competed in sports like football and basketball but equally enjoyed learning how to source code from physical magazines in his parents’ basement in Ohio. John Kell, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 No decorations have made their way out of the basement and no baskets have been distributed. Laila El-Haddad, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 The concert stage in the basement of downtown St. Paul’s historic Hamm building has gone dark once again. Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 11 Mar. 2024 Several more rounds were sent off before the team scrambled back into the basement, awaiting a potential return from the Russians. Nicole Tung, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2024 Alice finds a cuddly teddy bear in the basement, and calls him Chauncey. Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 Avoid entering basements or rooms where electrical outlets or cords are submerged in water. Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024 The movie pivots around a little girl, Alice (Pyper Braun), who in the basement of her new home discovers an old Teddy bear, named Chauncey, who becomes her imaginary friend. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'basement.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

base entry 1 or base entry 2 + -ment, probably after Italian basamento

First Known Use

1730, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of basement was in 1730

Dictionary Entries Near basement

Cite this Entry

“Basement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basement. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

basement

noun
base·​ment ˈbās-mənt How to pronounce basement (audio)
: the part of a building that is entirely or partly below ground level

More from Merriam-Webster on basement

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