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

• 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

Avoid entering basements or rooms where electrical outlets or cords are submerged in water. —Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2025

At the opposite end of the Thimphu drinking spectrum is the Tipsy Cow, located in a basement on the main street. —Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

While the raids are following legal directive from federal authorities, the protests erupted amid reports that detainees were being held in the basement of a federal building. —Andrew Stanton jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025

But that record operated with textures best found in dark basements and sweaty alleyways; this one is brighter, crafted from a mood board of mid-2000s club hits and John Waters movies. —Reanna Cruz, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025

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