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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ceramic barrels should be brought indoors, while plastic, wooden, and metal barrels can be stored outdoors or in your garage, basement, or potting shed. Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Dec. 2024 Key Facts Isaacman, 41, founded what would later become Shift4 Payments at age 16 in his parents’ basement in New Jersey after dropping out of high school, which provides payment processing services and point-of-sale software to businesses. Conor Murray, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024 Paradise Valley house with oversized garage sells for $3M. Features of the priciest Valley houses to sell in mid-November include a dog spa, a basement with a theater, and a detached garage with boat storage. Mark Jones, Arizona Republic, 2 Dec. 2024 The party would end for someone else, too, a terrible secret that same basement harbored for more than three decades. Sarah Weinman, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for basement 

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 13 Dec. 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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