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
JonBenét, who had competed in beauty pageants, was found dead in the early hours of Dec. 26, 1996, in the basement of her family's home in Boulder.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 21 Nov. 2024
The six-year-old pageant princess’ murder has remained unsolved since her body was found in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado, on Dec. 26, 1996.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2024
Their arguments about their shaky future, conducted in a small basement apartment that can barely fit the two of them, display a type of authenticity that’s hardly present in the rest of the film.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 20 Nov. 2024
Down in the basement are a slew of amenities for entertaining.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for basement 
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David K. Li, NBC News, 21 Nov. 2024
The six-year-old pageant princess’ murder has remained unsolved since her body was found in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado, on Dec. 26, 1996.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2024
Their arguments about their shaky future, conducted in a small basement apartment that can barely fit the two of them, display a type of authenticity that’s hardly present in the rest of the film.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 20 Nov. 2024
Down in the basement are a slew of amenities for entertaining.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for basement
Dictionary Entries Near basement
Cite this Entry
“Basement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basement. Accessed 28 Nov. 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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