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
The girl’s parents agreed to experimental treatment with Dr. Stahlman, who pulled the iron lung out of storage in the basement.
—Matt Schudel, Washington Post, 3 July 2024
Children especially enjoy the moth cave in the basement.
—Michelle Strausbaugh, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2024
Elkhorn Fire Chief Trent Eichmann said at a news conference that a man was located in the basement about 40 to 50 minutes after the call came in and then transported to a hospital via Flight for Life.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 2 July 2024
The other room has 45 Jordan brand sneakers shaped into a No. 23, all of which are shoes Hamlin had lying around in his basement.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for basement 
Matt Schudel, Washington Post, 3 July 2024
Children especially enjoy the moth cave in the basement.
—Michelle Strausbaugh, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2024
Elkhorn Fire Chief Trent Eichmann said at a news conference that a man was located in the basement about 40 to 50 minutes after the call came in and then transported to a hospital via Flight for Life.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 2 July 2024
The other room has 45 Jordan brand sneakers shaped into a No. 23, all of which are shoes Hamlin had lying around in his basement.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for basement
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 14 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
basement
noun
base·ment
ˈbās-mənt 
: the part of a building that is entirely or partly below ground level
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