basic

adjective ba·sic \ ˈbā-sik also -zik \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Examples: basic in a Sentence

Definition of basic

1 a : of, relating to, or forming the base or essence : fundamental

basic truths

b : concerned with fundamental scientific principles : not applied

basic research

2 : constituting or serving as the basis or starting point

a basic set of tools

3 a : of, relating to, containing, or having the character of a chemical base

b : having an alkaline reaction

4 : containing relatively little silica

basic rocks

5 : relating to, made by, used in, or being a process of making steel done in a furnace lined with basic material and under basic slag

—

basicity

play \bā-ˈsi-sə-tē\ noun

See basic defined for English-language learners

See basic defined for kids

Examples of basic in a Sentence

In this class, you will learn the basic principles of chemistry.
At its most basic level, the book is about a father's relationship with his children.
The basic difference between the two companies is their size.
rights that are basic to all human beings
basic reading, writing, and mathematics
She lacks even the most basic skills necessary for the job.
That's just the basic salary without overtime or tips.
The motel is comfortable but pretty basic: you get the necessities all right, but no luxuries.

Recent Examples of basic from the Web

Foley’s focus is on basic county services, like bulk trash and infrastructure, particularly by emphasizing regular preventative maintenance and planning.

— libby solomon, baltimoresun.com, "Meet the council candidates in central Baltimore County," 12 June 2018
Sacramento and other cities claim the money is sorely needed for basic street repairs such as overlays and pothole work.

— tony bizjak, sacbee, "Here's what your gas tax hike will fund in the Sacramento area - if voters don't repeal," 12 June 2018
And his wish list is basic: Job security, worker safety and slightly higher wages as auto companies increase profits.

— phoebe wall howard, Detroit Free Press, "UAW members meet to vote on dues, elect new leaders," 11 June 2018
Delta and American brought basic economy to some trans-Atlantic flights earlier this year.

— lauren zumbach, chicagotribune.com, "United rolls out version of basic economy fares on trans-Atlantic flights," 11 June 2018
These marketplaces have had their troubles - with many commercial insurers defecting and prices spiking - but their basic contours have remained intact.

— courant.com, "'You've handed us an issue:' Democrats pounce on Trump administration's health care move," 11 June 2018
And that brings us to the upcoming Mega Man 11, which updates the graphics, but retains the basic 2D shooter/side-scroller gameplay of the ten Mega Man games that came before it.

— scott meslow, GQ, "Mega Man Legacy Collection," 11 June 2018
Since then, the case has made few advances, with even basic information requests languishing for months, according to two other people who have reviewed the latest case files.

— azam ahmed, New York Times, "Mexico Could Press Bribery Charges. It Just Hasn’t.," 11 June 2018
Despite the length of your vacation, taking some basic security precautions is relatively simple to do and normally cost little, if anything at all.

— jim newton, Lake County News-Sun, "Lake County's police-aided drug treatment entry program continues to expand," 10 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'basic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of basic

¹base + ¹-ic

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1842

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

basic Synonyms

basic

noun

Definition of basic

1 : something that is basic : fundamental

get back to basics

2 : basic training

See basic defined for English-language learners

Examples of basic in a Sentence

He's teaching me the basics of Japanese cooking.
He starts basic in two months.

Recent Examples of basic from the Web

The basics – pay, benefits, flexibility, training, expectations.

— bob helbig, Indianapolis Star, "Top Workplaces 2018: Behind the Top Workplaces survey," 10 June 2018
Classes ranged from the basics, such as creating a Facebook page and learning about Facebook ads, to more in-depth topics of growing internationally or raising capital.

— andrea rumbaugh, Houston Chronicle, "Facebook pledges to train 1 million people, small business owners across U.S.," 8 June 2018
Siri is good at certain basics, such as setting an alarm or firing off a quick text.

— joanna stern, WSJ, "Alexa, What’s Wrong With Siri?," 5 June 2018
First, the basics of the fight One side claims water — specifically, water that Boise area irrigators have a right to use — is being released downstream early in the season, and that water is being counted against their rights.

— melissa davlin and seth ogilvie, idahostatesman, "These reservoirs keep Boise from flooding. But irrigators don't like how they're run.," 4 June 2018
Oregon’s Hair Design provides a beauty salon and supply store, where inmates can order basics, like shampoo, skin-care products, and makeup, through the program for low prices.

— refinery29.com, "Makeup in Lockup: Beauty, Power, & Danger in Women's Prisons," 2 June 2018
Here’s what to know about the album: - The basicsYour eyes are not deceiving you: The album indeed only contains seven tracks, which actually makes good on Kanye’s April promise.

— elahe izadi, BostonGlobe.com, "Kanye West releases his new album, ‘Ye’," 1 June 2018
But beyond the basics, that part of the job has changed.

— mike anthony, courant.com, "Mike Anthony: Jim Calhoun Sounding, Acting, Like A Coach Again," 17 May 2018
The event focuses on job search strategies, coding basics, online safety, interview skills and more.

— julie washington, cleveland.com, "Google gives $100K grant to Olivet Institutional Baptist Church tech training program," 11 May 2018

First Known Use of basic

1908

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

BASIC

noun BA·SIC \ ˈbā-sik \

Definition of BASIC

computers : a simplified high-level language for programming a computer

The program was written in BASIC.

See BASIC defined for English-language learners

See BASIC defined for kids

Examples of basic in a Sentence

The program is written in BASIC.

Origin and Etymology of basic

Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1964

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Computer-Related Terms

adware, flash, kludge, phishing, recursive, router

BASIC Defined for English Language Learners

basic

adjective

Definition of basic for English Language Learners

: forming or relating to the most important part of something
: forming or relating to the first or easiest part of something
: not including anything extra

basic

noun

Definition of basic for English Language Learners

basics : the simplest and most important parts of something (such as a subject of study)

BASIC

noun

Definition of BASIC for English Language Learners

computers : a simple language used for programming computers

BASIC Defined for Kids

basic

adjective ba·sic \ ˈbā-sik \

Definition of basic for Students

1 : relating to or forming the basis or most important part of something

the basic principles of science

a basic set of tools

2 : relating to or characteristic of a chemical base

a basic compound

—

basically

\-si-kə-lē\ adverb

basic

noun

Definition of basic for Students

: something that is one of the simplest and most important parts of something

the basics of farming

Medical Dictionary

basic

adjective ba·sic \ ˈbā-sik also -zik \

medical Definition of basic

1 : of, relating to, or forming the base or essence

2 a : of, relating to, containing, or having the character of a base

b : having an alkaline reaction

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basic

Definition of basic

basicity

Examples of basic in a Sentence

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basic

Definition of basic

Examples of basic in a Sentence

Recent Examples of basic from the Web

First Known Use of basic

BASIC

Definition of BASIC

Examples of basic in a Sentence

Origin and Etymology of basic

Other Computer-Related Terms

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BASIC Defined for English Language Learners

basic

Definition of basic for English Language Learners

basic

Definition of basic for English Language Learners

BASIC

Definition of BASIC for English Language Learners

BASIC Defined for Kids

basic

Definition of basic for Students

basically

basic

Definition of basic for Students

Medical Dictionary

basic

medical Definition of basic

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