basically
Americanadverb
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in a way that involves or affects the fundamental character or condition.
The building needs a few repairs, but is basically sound.
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as a recap of the main point or idea; if put simply or briefly.
Basically, her advice boils down to “Eat a sensible, balanced diet, and relax.”
adverb
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in a fundamental or elementary manner; essentially
strident and basically unpleasant
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(sentence modifier) in essence; in summary; put simply
basically we had underestimated mother nature
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of basically
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We basically borrowed that program and then partnered with them,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
"I was in a complete state basically and all puffy and swollen and just wanting to go home and be with my mum."
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
“Finding a job right now is basically picking the best from a pile of crap. As long as your standards are low enough, you can still land a job,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
But basically what he did in a lot of cases was, he would be filing civil actions against the klan or the skinheads or whoever it was and getting a lot of discovery.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
‘That’s basically Dad’s way of getting out of doing the cooking tonight. Mum’s out all day and it’s his turn.’
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
