basement

noun

base·​ment ˈbās-mənt 

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

ˈbās-mənt-ləs 

adjective

Synonyms of basement

• cellar

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 woman was taken to the Fort Worth jail, by then best described as an old, filthy, rat-infested hole in the basement of city hall. —Kevin Foster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2026

Ion has been squatting in the basement of an apartment building, which is set to be levelled to make way for a luxury hotel called the Kontinental Boutique. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026

At Free Eden, Apple secretly runs a witchy femme cult in the boutique’s basement after hours with Cherry and Fig. —Kennedy French, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026

The 2,500 square feet in the basement, where Bushey sold his consignment and secondhand gear, will be used for inventory. —Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026

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

Phrases Containing basement

• bargain-basement
• basement membrane
• finished basement/attic
• sub-basement

Rhymes for basement

• abasement
• debasement
• defacement
• displacement
• effacement
• emplacement
• encasement
• misplacement
• outplacement
• replacement
• placement

Kids Definition

basement

noun

base·​ment ˈbās-mənt 

: the part of a building that is entirely or partly below ground level