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
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
Boston Herald
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
Below the three levels of apartment units, a basement garage would provide 187 parking spots for residents.
—Bridget Fogarty, Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024
The first album was recorded in a basement practice space on a shoestring budget.
—Brad Sanders, SPIN, 23 Apr. 2024
Another knife with blood was found in the basement of the home, the court filing continued.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
Azat managed to rip a plastic tube from the wall and use it to funnel water from the narrow basement window.
—Peter Pomerantsev, TIME, 20 Apr. 2024
The large basement with a bedroom, full bath, and kitchenette is perfect for hosting guests or just a little extra privacy for a resident.
—The Indianapolis Star, 20 Apr. 2024
Later, an environmental tester hired by Norfolk Southern noticed a liquid residue on the home’s basement walls.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2024
Municipalities can also allow and encourage accessory dwelling units (ADUs), secondary dwellings like backyard cottages or basement apartments.
—Laurel Wamsley, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
Realistically, most people are only able to store something as large as a mattress in a garage or basement.
—Caitlin Sole, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Apr. 2024
Bridget Fogarty, Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024
The first album was recorded in a basement practice space on a shoestring budget.
—Brad Sanders, SPIN, 23 Apr. 2024
Another knife with blood was found in the basement of the home, the court filing continued.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
Azat managed to rip a plastic tube from the wall and use it to funnel water from the narrow basement window.
—Peter Pomerantsev, TIME, 20 Apr. 2024
The large basement with a bedroom, full bath, and kitchenette is perfect for hosting guests or just a little extra privacy for a resident.
—The Indianapolis Star, 20 Apr. 2024
Later, an environmental tester hired by Norfolk Southern noticed a liquid residue on the home’s basement walls.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2024
Municipalities can also allow and encourage accessory dwelling units (ADUs), secondary dwellings like backyard cottages or basement apartments.
—Laurel Wamsley, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
Realistically, most people are only able to store something as large as a mattress in a garage or basement.
—Caitlin Sole, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Apr. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near basement
Cite this Entry
“Basement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basement. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
basement
noun
base·ment
ˈbās-mənt 
: the part of a building that is entirely or partly below ground level
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share